{"id":32766,"date":"2021-03-13T20:40:25","date_gmt":"2021-03-14T03:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=32766"},"modified":"2021-03-14T18:39:55","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T23:39:55","slug":"austin-cindric-makes-championship-statement-with-win-at-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/13\/austin-cindric-makes-championship-statement-with-win-at-phoenix\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Cindric makes championship statement with win at Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Austin Cindric, driver of the #22 Car Shop Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Abbie Parr\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

Austin Cindric earned his second NASCAR Xfinity Series win in the opening five races of the 2021 season Saturday \u2013 taking a .360-second victory over 18-year old rookie Ty Gibbs in an action-packed final race restart with two laps remaining at Phoenix Raceway.<\/p>\n

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Austin Cindric, driver of the #22 Car Shop Ford, leads the field during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s the second consecutive win on the one-mile Phoenix oval for Cindric, who won here last November to claim the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. He led a race best 119 of the 200 laps en route to the win Saturday \u2013 including the final 54 laps, holding off the field on three late race restarts. The 22-year old North Carolinian is the only repeat winner so far in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust fighting for track position there,\u2019\u2019 Cindric said of the door-to-door racing with Allgaier on the restart.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to work hard the rest of the year to get here,\u2019\u2019 Cindric said of the good showing on the championship race venue. \u201cSo that\u2019s where my focus is. I\u2019ve got my name on the wall right there and the goal is to be back with a shot to do it again.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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Austin Cindric, driver of the #22 Car Shop Ford, takes a selfie with fans after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The last restart with two laps remaining was not-too-surprisingly the most action-packed and the biggest threat to Cindric\u2019s lead, but several cars running among the Top-10 on that start hit the wall or hit one another in a chaotic run to the checkered flag.<\/p>\n

Daniel Hemric, who restarted on the front row alongside Cindric, was caught up in the heavy full-contact restart and ended up 23rd. Justin Allgaier, whose No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevy started just behind Cindric\u2019s No. 22 Team Penske Ford on that last restart, pulled door-to-door hoping to make a move for the win, but he got loose and bounced backwards, recovering to finish eighth instead.<\/p>\n

Gibbs, who won the ARCA Menards Series race at the track on Friday night, drove a steady, if not risk-filled race all afternoon and was able to take advantage of the melee on that last restart to take the runner-up position. In two Xfinity Series starts, Gibbs has a win (Daytona road course) and a second-place finish.<\/p>\n

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Jesse Little, driver of the #78 Skuttle Tight Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Brandon Brown, Riley Herbst and last week\u2019s winner A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the Top-5 \u2013 all taking advantage of the aggressive racing on the last restart. For Brown and Herbst, those finishes are a season best. It was Brown\u2019s career best finish.<\/p>\n

Jeb Burton, Bayley Currey, Allgaier, Brett Moffitt and Jeremy Clements rounded out the Top-10. It marks the first Top-10 in the 24-year old Currey\u2019s career.  It was the first Top-10 for Allgaier this season. And his 32 laps led was a season best as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust disappointing there,\u2019\u2019 Allgaier said. \u201cOnce we got to his outside, I thought we had it, but he just got me out of the PJ1 and into the marbles and unfortunately it all comes up quick when you\u2019re bumped out of the PJ1..<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud of everyone at JR Motorsports,\u2019\u2019 he continued. \u201cI learned a lot I think for when we come back here in the Fall and hopefully we\u2019re in the Final Four.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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Daniel Hemric, driver of the #18 Poppy Bank Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Resilience, like it or not, was a dominant theme on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The final restart was a disappointing outcome for Hemric, who for the second straight week won a Stage and proved to be a trophy contender. He rallied from a tough mid-race pit sequence to be back among the Top-5 when it counted most.<\/p>\n

His No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which had been strong all day, fell off after a pit stop adjustment following his Stage 2 win. Hemric\u2019s race got more complicated when he was called for speeding on pit road, but  he remained calm and raced his way back inside the Top-10, then the Top-5. He re-started next to Cindric before getting caught up in the five-wide racing at the end.<\/p>\n

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Brandon Jones, driver of the #19 Toyota Toyota, Tommy Joe Martins, driver of the #44 Diamon Gusset Jeans Chevrolet, and Colby Howard, driver of the #15 Project Hope Foundation Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was a similar day of a strong showing gone awry for the defending race winner Brandon Jones. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was a Top-5 car early in the race and rebounded from an early pit road speeding penalty to run Top-5 again \u2013 even lead the race for a pair of laps. <\/p>\n

However, while running in the front pack of cars with only 33 laps remaining, his Toyota was hit from behind by last week\u2019s race winner Allmendinger. The damage to Jones\u2019 Toyota was too much and instead of a sure-bet Top-5 and a shot for a second straight spring victory at Phoenix, he finished the race from the garage.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll in all we had a really good Toyota Supra, looks like I just got run over by A.J. but I keep a notebook of all this stuff,\u2019\u2019 Jones said after emerging from the care center.<\/p>\n

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Josh Berry, driver of the #8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet, spins as Riley Herbst, driver of the #98 Monster Energy Ford, Myatt Snider, driver of the #2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet, and Brandon Brown, driver of the #68 Larry’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet, pass during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Top-5 showing for Riley Herbst, 22, was easily his best run of the season in his maiden year driving the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. He had three DNFs in the opening four races.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a similar frustrating early season for championship favorite Noah Gragson. For the third time in the five races this season, Gragson took a DNF. His No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet suffered an engine failure and he retired on Lap 67. His teammate Michael Annett also had engine problems in the No. 1 Chevrolet and finished 38th.<\/p>\n

The NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway next Saturday in the EchoPark 250 (5 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Cindric holds a 47-point lead over Hemric in the championship standings.<\/p>\n

Interviews: <\/h3>\n

NXS Post-Race: Third-place finisher Brandon Brown (No. 11 Larry\u2019s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet), second-place finisher Ty Gibbs (No. 54 PristineAuction.com Toyota) and race winner Austin Cindric (No. 22 Car Shop Ford) – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/NXSPostRacePhoenixBrandonBrownTyGibbsAustinCindric031321.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 17th Annual Call 811 Before You Dig 200<\/strong><\/p>\n

Phoenix Raceway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Avondale, Arizona<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, March 13, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

               1. (3)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

               2. (27)  Ty Gibbs #, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               3. (11)  Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               4. (30)  Riley Herbst, Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

               5. (4)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               6. (6)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               7. (29)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               8. (12)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               9. (20)  Brett Moffitt(i), Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               10. (13)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               11. (19)  Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               12. (7)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               13. (33)  JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               14. (39)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               15. (14)  Santino Ferrucci, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               16. (24)  Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               17. (15)  Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               18. (35)  Stefan Parsons, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               19. (21)  Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               20. (32)  Jade Buford, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               21. (17)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               22. (18)  Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               23. (1)  Daniel Hemric, Toyota, 200.<\/p>\n

               24. (28)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               25. (16)  Joe Graf Jr., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

               26. (5)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, Accident, 199.<\/p>\n

               27. (34)  Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

               28. (37)  David Starr, Toyota, 199.<\/p>\n

               29. (22)  Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, 198.<\/p>\n

               30. (25)  Ryan Vargas #, Chevrolet, 197.<\/p>\n

               31. (40)  Loris Hezemans, Chevrolet, 195.<\/p>\n

               32. (36)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, Accident, 194.<\/p>\n

               33. (2)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, Accident, 165.<\/p>\n

               34. (26)  Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 164.<\/p>\n

               35. (38)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 157.<\/p>\n

               36. (9)  Josh Berry #, Chevrolet, Accident, 146.<\/p>\n

               37. (31)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, Accident, 133.<\/p>\n

               38. (8)  Michael Annett, Chevrolet, Engine, 93.<\/p>\n

               39. (10)  Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, Engine, 67.<\/p>\n

               40. (23)  Jesse Little, Toyota, Accident, 44.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  82.408 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 25 Mins, 37 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .360 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  11 for 65 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  10 among 6 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   D. Hemric 0;A. Cindric 1-50;D. Hemric 51-94;J. Allgaier 95-125;T. Gibbs # 126;R. Sieg 127-128;A. Cindric 129-136;J. Allgaier 137;A. Cindric 138-144;B. Jones 145-146;A. Cindric 147-200.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Austin Cindric 4 times for 119 laps; Daniel Hemric 1 time for 44 laps; Justin Allgaier 2 times for 32 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 2 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 2 laps; Ty Gibbs # 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 22,19,20,18,9,7,11,10,1,54<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 18,20,7,22,11,10,16,8,54,19<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Austin Cindric earned his second NASCAR Xfinity Series win in the opening five races of the 2021 season Saturday \u2013 taking a .360-second victory over 18-year old rookie Ty Gibbs in an action-packed final race restart with two laps remaining at Phoenix Raceway. It\u2019s the second consecutive win […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":32773,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[526,16,181,395],"class_list":["post-32766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-austin-cindric","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series","tag-phoenix-raceway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/NXS_Cindric_VL_Phoenix_031321-scaled-e1615764648583.jpg?fit=640%2C427","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-8wu","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32766"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32779,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32766\/revisions\/32779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}