Austin Cindric saw his hopes of progressing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs disappear after a collision at Charlotte Motor Speedway ended his run, highlighting the unpredictable nature of this year’s competition. The Austin Cindric NASCAR playoffs elimination came following an incident with Carson Hocevar, marking a painful end to his aspirations despite determined efforts throughout the season.
Cindric’s Playoff Hopes Crumble After Early Crash
The decisive moment occurred on Lap 32 when Carson Hocevar carried excess speed into Turn 16, resulting in a spin that led to contact with Cindric. Both drivers suffered significant damage, but the aftermath was most devastating for Cindric—he dropped 22 laps behind the field, effectively sealing his playoff fate at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Entering the event already 48 points below the advancement threshold, the setback proved insurmountable.
“It’s such a long race here, like, in those moments, I didn’t feel like I was out of it,”
Austin Cindric said, according to Matt Weaver of Motorsport.com. He reflected on his strategic approach, adding,
“I just wanted to not put us in a situation where we’re completely out of it, just knowing the strategies were going to get super crazy with the super long run, having the [tire] falloff we had [Saturday], knowing how big the windows were.”
– Austin Cindric
Despite the crushing blow, Cindric gave an honest assessment of the impact, remarking,
“Just a shame we got hit so perfectly that KO’d all of my rear suspensions. Today wasn’t our entire season, but we made it that way due to not having a great round.”
– Austin Cindric
Reflecting on a Challenging Playoff Round
Cindric had made it to the playoffs by clinching victory at the spring Talladega race, but the playoff round brought a series of challenges. In the Round of 12, he finished 17th at New Hampshire, 30th at Kansas, and 36th at the Charlotte Roval, showing the steep hurdles he and his Penske team faced. The sequence of underwhelming results left him struggling to gain crucial stage points and momentum.
Offering perspective on his performance, Cindric commented,
“I mean, this round was definitely tough for us. I mean, never really feel like we even had the speed to get stage points in any of the races,”
he told NASCAR.com. He continued,
“But I also feel like I take a lot of that with having a qualifying lap each week that probably would have put me in the top 10 and slipping up and not being able to execute. I feel like I displayed some of my car control more than I displayed speed this round, so I feel like that falls on me.”
– Austin Cindric
What Lies Ahead for Cindric and Team Penske
With the championship now out of reach, Cindric’s focus shifts to the remainder of the season and supporting his Team Penske colleagues, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. Both Blaney and Logano continue to advance, having secured spots in the Round of 8. The two drivers carry impressive recent records, with Blaney taking the championship title in 2023 and Logano earning crowns in both 2022 and the previous year.
Cindric’s emotional response to the playoff exit underscores the intensity and unpredictability of NASCAR’s postseason format, and as the series continues, all eyes will turn to see if Penske can add yet another title to its recent streak of successes.
Austin Cindric on elimination and overall improvement in 2025 pic.twitter.com/iS2ZY8Ckkd
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 5, 2025
