Austin Cindric‘s hopes of advancing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs ended abruptly after a collision with Carson Hocevar during the Charlotte Motor Speedway race. The incident on Lap 32 left Cindric with severe damage, concluding his playoff run and ending his season earlier than expected.
Details of the Charlotte Incident That Ended Cindric’s Playoff Chase
The critical moment happened when Carson Hocevar entered Turn 16 with excessive speed, losing control and spinning into Cindric’s car. The contact damaged Cindric’s rear suspension so severely that he fell 22 laps behind the leaders. Entering the race 48 points below the playoff cut line, this damage effectively eliminated him from contention in the remaining rounds.
Austin Cindric reflected on the incident and its timing during the intense playoff competition.
“It’s such a long race here, like, in those moments, I didn’t feel like I was out of it,”
he said, per Matt Weaver of Motorsport.com.
“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.”
Despite his determination, Cindric acknowledged the misfortune of the collision.
“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,”
he added.
Challenges Faced by Cindric Throughout the Playoff Round
Austin Cindric earned his playoff spot after a victory in the spring Talladega race, entering the Round of 12 with high hopes. However, his performance fluctuated during the playoff events, finishing 17th at New Hampshire, 30th at Kansas, and 36th on the Charlotte Roval.
Discussing the difficulties, Cindric admitted,
“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,”
according to NASCAR.com.
“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.”
Focus Shifts to Supporting Teammates and Finishing the Season Strong
With his own playoff run ending, Cindric is now concentrating on closing out the season on a positive note while aiding his Penske teammates. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano remain in contention, both having reached the Round of 8 and holding recent championship titles. Blaney secured the 2023 championship, while Logano took the titles in 2022 and 2021.
Cindric’s experience highlights the harsh realities of playoff racing, where a single incident can determine the fate of a season. His playoff exit serves as a turning point as he prepares to contribute to his team’s ongoing championship pursuits and reflect on lessons learned for the future.
Austin Cindric on elimination and overall improvement in 2025 pic.twitter.com/iS2ZY8Ckkd
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 5, 2025
