Austin Cindric Comes Up Clutch at Richmond to Boost Chase Hopes

RICHMOND, Va. — Do they have your attention yet?

After years of playoff dominance, many marked Team Penske as the detractor and victim of going back to a Chase format that rewards season-long consistency.

For several months, excluding Ryan Blaney, it looked like the critics would be right. There was a time where both Joey Logano and Austin Cindric found themselves below the cut line.

Flash forward to mid-August, and Logano just pocketed his second win in four races in Saturday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway (Aug. 15). But while the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was the primary story of the night, it was his Penske teammate Cindric who packed quite a punch in his effort to make The Chase.

Cindric capitalized on an impressive night with a third-place finish, a season-best finish for the 27-year-old and his best-ever finish on a short track. It was also Cindric’s first top 10 since a ninth-place performance at Watkins Glen International in May.

A disappointing 23rd-place qualifying result was quickly erased from memory as Cindric stormed through the field, finishing stage one in fourth. That spurred the horse that carried Cindric to another fourth-place result in stage two before ultimately improving by a position to secure a top-three finish.

As impressive as the finish was, it further bolstered the Chase hopes of the fifth-year driver. Cindric entered the night in possession of the last spot in the 16-driver field, 29 points above the cut line. Leaving Richmond, he now owns a fairly comfortable 57-point cushion with two races remaining in the regular season. He also jumped Shane van Gisbergen in the process to have another driver in-between himself and the cut line.

“I have no idea what it is, but I could see very few cars in front of me and a lot behind me,” Cindric said about his points situation. “Points in both stages and a top five, we’ve got to do that. We’ve got to perform at this time of year, and quite frankly, we haven’t been the last several weeks. It’s much needed and never too late to start.”

While Logano has historically been excellent at Richmond, Cindric has quietly turned the 0.75-mile oval into one of his hot spots. He delivered a confidence-boosting finish of fifth a year ago before raising that to a top three this year. The showing also gives him more momentum heading to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a track where Penske owned the day a year ago.

“[Richmond] was a race we had high hopes for, and I feel like we were able to execute,” Cindric said. “I think when you can make the case that when we show up on this tire (at New Hampshire) our team does a great job, so it could be very similar for next week and [we] need to put together another complete race there.”

Cindric’s performance continues to show the flashes of brilliance we have seen from him in his young career. Yet, with this being just his second top five of 2026, consistency has become a goal for Cindric and the No. 2 team, especially if he is to make deeper runs through the postseason. At the same time, displays like Richmond exhibit his ability to put complete races together.

“I feel like car performance-wise, for sure,” Cindric responded to Frontstretch when asked if this felt like his most complete race. “You saw that from all four of our cars. Obviously, Joey [Logano] getting the win, [Josh Berry] was super strong all night, obviously, Ryan [Blaney] had pace, so I think it’s important for everyone in the company and we need to keep doing it.”

As Cindric looks to close out the regular season, it becomes a crucial time for the Mooresville, N.C., native. He is on the cusp of becoming the third Penske driver to qualify for The Chase, which would mark the third consecutive year the Penske trio has advanced to the postseason.

But first, there’s plenty at stake at New Hampshire, and with several hungry bubble drivers knocking on the door, execution and consistency become the name of the game for Cindric.