Austin Cindric Wins First of Two Xfinity Races at Kentucky Speedway

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

SPARTA, KY – RIS – With the first two stages being dominated by Noah Gragson, it looked like another non-winning night on an oval by Austin Cindric, but the final stage was a very different matter, but it was not easy.

A spin by Harrison Burton with five laps remaining set up the overtime restart, which lined up race leader Cindric on the outside, while five-time winner Chase Briscoe took the inside lane. Briscoe slid through Turns 1 and 2, losing ground and allowing Cindric to sail to the win.

Riley Herbst held on to finish second, stemming third-place finisher Ross Chastain. Five-time 2020 season race winner Briscoe was able to salvage a fourth-place result, while Michael Annett finished fifth to round out the top five.

The triumph serves as Cindric’s first win on an oval after back-to-back wins at road courses Watkins Glen International and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2019.

The race got off to a chaotic start as Jeb Burton lost control of his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in Turn 2, collecting Brandon Jones in the process. Jones was forced to retire from the race due to heavy damage on the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Cindric’s Team Penske Ford Mustang had speed all night, but he played second fiddle to Briscoe and others all night.  That is, until the final laps. 

“I don’t care what shape the track is, if it’s dirt, oval, I don’t care,” Cindric said excitedly. “I’m just happy this Snap-On Ford Mustang is in Victory Lane. We have come so close all year. … I’m pumped. This is awesome. I’d love to be able to come back and do another performance like that tomorrow night.”

Kentucky Speedway will have another Xfinity race tomorrow night with the same cast and crew.

Briscoe was second on the overtime start but got loose exiting Turn 2 causing him to fall back. Cindric’s win comes after Briscoe won three of the last four races.

“I love the guy, but he’s won enough,” Cindric joked.

It’s Cindric’s third career win with other two races coming on road courses.  The season has been dominated by Briscoe’s five wins in 13 races in 2020.

Unofficial Results: Shady Rays 200, Kentucky Speedway

Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 12, Austin Cindric, No. 22 Snap-On Ford, 136, 3, 2, 2, 41, 5, 57, Running
2) 23, Riley Herbst #, No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota, 136, , 5, , , , 41, Running
3) 2, Ross Chastain, No. 10 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, 136, 4, 4, , , , 48, Running
4) 7, Chase Briscoe, No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford, 136, , 3, 2, 5, , 41, Running
5) 4, Michael Annett, No. 1 TMC Chevrolet, 136, 6, 7, , , , 41, Running
6) 11, Anthony Alfredo, No. 21 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet, 136, 5, 10, , , , 38, Running
7) 9, Justin Haley, No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 136, 7, , 1, 3, , 34, Running
8) 30, Kyle Weatherman, No. 47 Back The Blue Chevrolet, 136, , , , , , 29, Running
9) 8, Ryan Sieg, No. 39 CMRRoofing.com Chevrolet, 136, 9, 8, , , , 33, Running
10) 13, Brett Moffitt(i), No. 02 Robert B Our Co Inc Chevrolet, 136, 10, , , , , 0, Running
11) 1, Noah Gragson, No. 9 Switch Chevrolet, 136, 1, 1, 2, 87, 2, 46, Running
12) 20, Jeremy Clements, No. 51 First Pacific Funding Chevrolet, 136, , , , , , 25, Running
13) 31, Joe Graf Jr #, No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet, 136, , , , , , 24, Running
14) 14, Jesse Little #, No. 4 KSDT CPA Chevrolet, 136, , , , , , 23, Running
15) 28, Myatt Snider #, No. 93 The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet, 136, , , , , , 22, Running
16) 32, Chad Finchum, No. 13 CrashClaimsR.US Toyota, 136, , , , , , 21, Running
17) 5, Harrison Burton #, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota, 136, 2, , , , , 29, Running
18) 17, BJ McLeod, No. 6 TeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet, 136, , , , , , 19, Running
19) 22, Ronnie Bassett Jr, No. 90 Bassett Gutters & More Chevrolet, 135, , , , , , 18, Accident
20) 10, Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Thank You Team BRANDT Chevrolet, 135, 8, 6, , , , 25, Accident
21) 33, Timmy Hill(i), No. 61 ROOFCLAIM.COM Toyota, 135, , , , , , 0, Accident
22) 27, Bayley Currey(i), No. 74 Mutt and Jeff Porkskins Inc Chevrolet, 135, , , , , , 0, Running
23) 34, Vinnie Miller, No. 78 Koolbox Chevrolet, 134, , , , , , 14, Running
24) 16, Alex Labbe, No. 36 Larue Snowblowers Chevrolet, 134, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 25, Kody Vanderwal #, No. 52 ADVANCED DAIRY SERVICE Chevrolet, 134, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 18, Josh Williams, No. 92 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet, 133, , , , , , 11, Running
27) 19, Brandon Brown, No. 68 Bmsraceteam.com Chevrolet, 132, , 9, , , , 12, Running
28) 26, Mason Massey, No. 99 Marty Massey Towing and Recovery Toyota, 130, , , , , , 9, Running
29) 24, Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 0 TeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet, 129, , , , , , 8, Suspension
30) 35, Matt Mills, No. 5 JF Electric Toyota, 122, , , , , , 7, Running
31) 15, Garrett Smithley, No. 07 JACOB Construction Chevrolet, 120, , , , , , 6, Brakes
32) 21, Colby Howard, No. 15 Project Hope Foundation Chevrolet, 119, , , , , , 5, Accident
33) 36, Tommy Joe Martins, No. 44 Gilreath Farms Red Angus Chevrolet, 54, , , , , , 4, Rear Gear
34) 3, Jeb Burton, No. 8 Rocky Boots Chevrolet, 45, , , , , , 3, Accident
35) 29, Stephen Leicht, No. 66 JANIKING Toyota, 21, , , , , , 2, Electrical
36) 6, Brandon Jones, No. 19 Menards/Atlas Toyota, 0, , , , , , 1, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie

Time of Race: 1 hr, 51 min, 31 sec
Average Speed: 109.759 mph
Margin of Victory: Under Caution
Race Length: 136 laps, 204. miles
1.5 - Mile Paved

Stage 1 Top 10: 9, 20, 22, 10, 21, 1, 11, 7, 39, 02
Stage 2 Top 10: 9, 22, 98, 10, 18, 7, 1, 39, 68, 21

Race Comments: Austin Cindric won the Shady Rays 200 at Kentucky Speedway, his third NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.

Prior to the start, the following car dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reasons indicated: No. 74, No. 99 (unapproved adjustments), No. 78 (stopping in pit box during pit road speed check).

Caution Flags: 9 for 40 laps;
Laps: 2-7 (No. 8, No. 19 Incident Turn 2 [None]);
17-19 (Competition Caution [8]);
32-37 (Stage 1 Conclusion [13]);
62-67 (Stage 2 Conclusion [08]);
90-94 (No. 11, No. 68 Incident Turn 4 [6]);
104-107 (No. 02, No. 10 Incident Turn 4 [13]);
121-125 (No. 15 Incident Turn 1 [02]);
131-134 (No. 1, No. 20 Incident Turn 3 [74]);
136-136 (No. 7, No. 52, No. 61, No. 90 Incident Backstretch [None]).

Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers;
N. Gragson 1-33;
C. Briscoe 34-37;
N. Gragson 38-91;
J. Haley 92-94;
A. Cindric 95-133;
C. Briscoe 134;
A. Cindric 135-136.