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NASCAR Monday Mash-Up: Austin Cindric shakes up playoff picture

JHby:Jonathan Howard•06/03/24•

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Austin Cindric Gateway win
Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

In a wild ending to the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway, Austin Cindric has shaken up the NASCAR Playoff picture for 2024. Cindric joins Daniel Suárez as the two drivers outside of the top-16 in points who have wins.

This weekend also featured fun races from the Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series. The trucks raced at Gateway with Xfinity taking the track at Portland International Raceway.

Before we turn our attention to Sonoma this week, let’s take a look back on the week we just had. It was a wild ending and one that will have consequences in the postseason this year.

Corey Heim gets back to winning ways

First off in the Truck Series at Gateway, Corey Heim was back to his old ways. A P2 turned into a DQ at Charlotte was washed away with Heim’s fourth win of the season this weekend.

A DNF at Darlington and DQ at Charlotte are the only races Heim has failed to officially finish in the top-10 this season. He has a Cup ride with 23XI coming up at Nashville after a couple of weeks off.

Frankie Muniz returns to NASCAR Xfinity Series

Once again, Frankie Muniz was behind the wheel of the Joey Gase Motorsports No. 35 car in the Xfinity Series. Things once again did not go according to plan for Muniz in his third start of the season.

Muniz suffered an engine failure during practice and did not post a qualifying lap. He had to go home empty-handed, without making a start. Another tough result for Muniz.

Muniz dealing with ‘mental game’ after Portland failure

After the issues in practice, Muniz was just able to hold onto a small piece of positivity. His NASCAR future is not certain.

“I don’t know,” Muniz said. “I just, I’m gonna go home, and be with my son, and evaluate what I want to do, because like, I just keep taking hits, and it’s such a mental game. I’ve just got to be in a better mental state than I am right now to be competitive.”

Shane van Gisbergen flexes on Xfinity Series field

Early on in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, SVG was able to move to the front of the field in Portland. He was impressive to say the least on this road course he had never seen before the weekend.

Van Gisbergen had to earn it and move up through the field after leading early. With a few laps to go, he passed Justin Allgaier and earned his first career win in the series.

Michael McDowell wins another pole award

Moving back to Illinois and the Cup Series, Michael McDowell kicked off his weekend with his third pole of the season. Absolutely great stuff from McDowell this year in qualifying.

He would go on to finish P25 in what turned into a frustrating afternoon of racing. But the speed is there. Four top-10s on the season for the 34 team.

Charter agreement still up in the air

Despite receiving a new charter agreement offer from NASCAR, the team owners feel like there is still more to do before signing. Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski answered questions about the negotiations.

“There’s still a ton of work to do,” was the ain’t takeaway. NASCAR and the teams remain far apart on the agreement it seems.

Kyle Larson playoff waiver up in the air

Speaking of up in the air, Kyle Larson’s championship eligibility is still in the air. NASCAR is seriously considering denying him a waiver.

The decision has yet to come out and NASCAR doesn’t have to meet any deadline to make a decision. Larson is going to race like normal no matter the outcome.

Blaney, Bell suffer failure, Austin Cindric wins at Gateway

Christopher Bell had the fastest car on the track and had tracked Ryan Blaney down. Then, with less than 20 laps to go, his engine lost a cylinder or two.

From there, it looked like Blaney had it in the bag. Just before taking the white flag, Blaney ran out of fuel opening the door for Austin Cindric to take over and win the race. Ultimate drama.