Ryan Blaney inherits Austin Cindric’s 10th-ranked pit crew as Team Penske reshuffles personnel for the NASCAR Chase, with Penske calling it a business decision aimed at the championship.
By Deb Williams From Autoweek.com
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Two days after this year’s 16-driver Chase field was set, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric learned their pit crews were being switched.
Neither driver was consulted. It was a Team Penske business decision. Throughout the season, Cindric’s crew out-performed Blaney’s that was plagued with numerous problems. When the 26-race regular season ended, NASCAR statistics showed Cindric’s crew ranked 10th on pit road while Blaney’s was ranked 32nd. Team Penske decided the best chance it had to win a championship was to swap the crews.
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“I completely understand the team’s perspective for why that is and obviously the opportunity for us moving forward,” said Cindric, who’s seeded 15th while Blaney is seeded second in the Chase. “I think the main level of frustration is I don’t get to see through the season with the guys that I feel like were responsible for me getting there, but… it’s not completely unprecedented to make changes to give the team the best chance.”David Jensen//Getty Images
Austin Cindric is losing his regular pit crew for the Chase.
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Cindric says there are several people on the crew he worked with when he won races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and he knows most of them because he’s worked out with them in the gym. Blaney also has worked with some of the crew members he’s getting starting in this weekend’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.
