NASCAR now has a new Daytona 500 champion.
Within the final lap of the Florida race, 23-year-old Austin Cindric overtook racing veteran Bubba Wallace by a mere 0.036 seconds, to win his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series, his first-ever Daytona 500, and his first win of the 2022 season.
“You probably couldn’t have picked me up from the care center and say, ‘You’re going to win the Daytona 500 one day,’” Cindric said after his victory. “[But] I’ve come a long way since then.”
Cindric plays for Team Penske, of which his father Tim is the president. This Daytona 500 win was the third for Team Penske, having also won it in 2008 with Ryan Newman, and in 2015 with Joey Logano. Logano, who was a favorite in this race, ended up finishing in 21st place.
A PHOTO FINISH IN THE #DAYTONA500!
AUSTIN CINDRIC WINS! pic.twitter.com/abobUxgbRa
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 20, 2022
During the post-duel practices, Michael McDowell finished first place in the third practice, with a time of 46.71 seconds and a top speed of 192.6 mph. In the final practice, Harrison Burton finished in first place, with a time of 47.78 seconds and a top speed of 188.3 mph. McDowell and Burton finished in 7th and 39th (DNF) place, respectively, in the actual Daytona 500.
On Sunday (February 20), Cindric became the second-youngest racer to ever win the Daytona 500, having won it at age 23. He was not as young as Trevor Bayne when he won it in 2011 at age 20, though.
With Cindric’s win, the 64th edition of the Daytona 500 is now in the books, and the racers will begin to train and practice for the next entry in the NASCAR Cup Series, the WISE Power 400 race in Fontana, California, on February 27.
What did you think of this year’s Daytona 500, and Cindric’s impressive victory? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
