DAYTONA BEACH — Austin Cindric earned a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs after finishing sixth in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Cindric’s qualification came despite a late-race wreck involving Carson Hocevar.
Cindric entered the race with a 44-point gap above the cut line, bolstered by five previous top-10 finishes and 113 stage points. He watched Ryan Preece win the race, securing Preece’s own playoff berth. “I know it might sound weird, but it was kind of fun to watch,” Cindric said. “The guy drove a hell of a race, and wins because of it. That doesn't happen at these (events) super often.”
Cindric is one of six playoff qualifiers who did not win a race this season, joining Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, William Byron and Bubba Wallace. He described himself as someone who avoids wrecks, stating, “There are two types of drivers in this world, and I can promise you that I'm one of them: There's guys that live for wrecks, and there's guys that don't live for wrecks. I've hit really hard because I'm not looking for wrecks, and I've missed stuff like that because I'm not looking for wrecks.”
This marks Cindric’s fourth playoff appearance in five years as a Cup Series regular. Teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano had already secured their playoff positions. Shane van Gisbergen, despite winning at Watkins Glen and Sonoma and winning the first stage of the Coke Zero Sugar 400, did not qualify for the Chase, losing to Chris Buescher as he slid through the infield grass just before the finish line.
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