Austin Cindric on winning after Ryan Blaney ran out of gas: 'Heartbroken for the 12 guys'

Austin Cindric had to wait 85 races to get back to victory lane, but he finally got it done in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

And for a driver whose future is anything but certain with silly season ramping up, you can imagine how much this win means for Cindric. But at the same time, Cindric is “heartbroken” for his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, who ran out of gas on the final lap while leading the race.

"Heartbroken for the 12 guys, but this is 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 for me."- Austin Cindric pic.twitter.com/09F5G7Vjjv

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 2, 2024

“I don’t know what happened to him [Ryan Blaney] at the end of the race, but they deserved to win this race. Ryan’s been a hell of a leader for this team and this weekend was a great weekend for everybody involved. Like I said, heartbreaking for those guys but this is huge for me. Huge for this team,” Cindric told Jamie Little of FOX Sports after the race. “I’m so glad I was able to get a win with Brian [Wilson] as my crew chief in the Cup Series. You never know when it’s gonna happen again.

“It’s everything [this win]. It’s absolutely everything and the funniest thing about it is that this Freightline Ford Mustang is probably one of the best-looking cars on the racetrack. I’ve had terrible races in this car and it’s great to win with a great paint scheme. Great to win in front of an amazing crowd.”

Ryan Blaney comes up just short in Enjoy Illinois 300, Austin Cindric earns spot into playoffs

Cindric was already tracking towards a season-best finish but was suddenly in the driver’s seat for a win after Blaney’s No. 12 Ford ran out of gas. He now finds himself automatically qualified for the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons, a chance to go for a Cup Series championship. Cindric entered Sunday’s race 20th in the points standings with just one top-10 finish through 14 races.

Blaney, the reigning Cup Series champion, remains winless on the season. His season up to this point can be described as unlucky, which remained true at World Wide Technology Raceway.

“Never thought in my mind we were short, but it’s one of those things,” Blaney said. “I’m proud of the 12 boys. … I had my work cut out for me holding out Christopher [Bell]. That was a fun battle. I don’t know what happened to him.

“One lap short. It just stinks, but congrats to the 2 team. They did a good job all day. Props to them. …Really happy with our showing today. I don’t know what I got to do to get some luck on our side. Wrecked the last two points races and I thought we had a great shot to win today and ended up bad.”