And the winner of the first NASCAR XFINITY Series wreck of 2018 is… Austin Cindric.
Cindric, who is running a full-time schedule for multiple teams this season, never got the handling right in his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Struggling from the start of the race, he fell through the pack and into a three-wide situation on lap 10.
“We were a little loose coming off [Turn] 4,” Cindric said. “I need to see a replay to see how close the [No.] 18 was to my door. Those guys were getting pretty aggressive for lap 10. It’s unfortunate to get put in that situation.”
It was a draft Cindric would never make his way out of. Losing control off Turn 4, he spun into the outside wall and then through the tri-oval. In the process, he also collected other top XFINITY contenders like Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Brandon Jones.
Austin Cindric's race ends after just 25 miles … pic.twitter.com/Atwn5ZfIXO
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2018
“Probably racing a little too aggressive to start the race,” he said afterward. “Speedway racing is speedway racing. I’m sure there will be more torn-up cars.”
Bell was able to drive his car to pit road but also could not continue in the race. The talented young drivers started their season with 39th- and 40th-place finishes.
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.