Brickyard Saturday – Power, Cindric Win for Penske

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Will Power took his front row starting position into a win as he led 56 of the 85-laps of The Big Machine Coolers Grand Prix on the Road Course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is the fifth win of the season for Team Chevy in INDYCAR. Moreover the race lacked the usual idiocy of allegedly professional drivers wiping out on the early laps of Indy Car races such as last week in Nashville when the Pace Car led more laps than any racing car  – and in AutoInformed’s view won the demolition derby like race.

“Roger Penske has had a rough year as far as the team goes. I’m really happy for the whole group. Because it’s not for lack of effort,” said Power. They worked really hard during the Month of May and we were all scratching our heads at the end. I’ve been here six times now (five for road course wins, one Indy 500 win) in this Victory Lane; pretty special place for me. This win goes to the whole group; they deserve it more than me.”

On the NASCAR side of the Indy action, Austin Cindric on Saturday afternoon won the Pennzoil 150. The 22-year-old with Hoosier roots celebrated his first win ever there by singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” as he took a victory lap. Cindric out-paced the NASCAR Xfinity Series field by 2.108-seconds to take his series best fifth victory of the year and 13th of his career.

Cindric led a race-best 29 of the 62 laps on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile Indianapolis road course, making the lead permanent with 17 laps remaining and pulling away to a nearly four-second advantage at one point. Polesitter and Stage 2 winner A.J. Allmendinger finished runner-up for the second consecutive week at a road course track. The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Michigan International Speedway next week for the New Holland 250 (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

It marked the second win on the day for the Team Penske Racing at the Indianapolis track now owned by Roger Penske. The president of Team, Penske, Tim Cindric, met his son in Victory Lane to celebrate. Indiana has been the Cindric family home for generations.

Next up NASCAR Cup Sunday afternoon 15 August at the Brickyard.