AUSTIN, Texas – To little surprise, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric topped the practice charts Friday during the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ first look at Circuit of The Americas.
In a 50-minute session ahead of Saturday’s Pit Boss 250, Cindric posted a time of 2:17.778 (89.100 mph) with his No. 22 Menards/Richmond Ford to lead the 43 drivers in attendance at the 20-turn road course.
Well known for his road course acumen, Cindric told SPEED SPORT following practice Friday evening that Circuit of The Americas is “markedly different” than any other road course he’s driven in his career.
That’s saying a lot, too, coming from a driver who has experience in all three NASCAR national series, as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Michelin Pilot Challenge, Repco Australian Supercars and the Bathurst 12 Hours.
“I’d say it’s not terribly similar to any other natural terrain road course in the [United] States, at least on a large scale,” Cindric said. “It’s funny because it’s called Circuit of The Americas, but it’s probably the most European race track that we have stateside, so I definitely feel like it has different character traits. Obviously, its character traits are a lot more suited to high-speed, high-downforce vehicles [like] Formula One or Indy cars … so I feel like in our cars, a lot of those corners slowed down are pretty different.
“It’s fun and it adds a new dynamic for us, so I think you’re going to see different things out of our races than you probably would have out of a Formula One race here, and I think that’s something that the locals that have come out to this race track should be excited about,” Cindric added. “I wouldn’t say there’s really anywhere else in the country quite like it. There are places in Europe like it, but not here.”
The good news for Cindric and the rest of the Xfinity Series runners was that their 50-minute practice Friday went much smoother than the preceding NASCAR Camping World Truck Series session did.
Unlike the Truck Series round, which featured four full-course cautions and an abundance of slowed pace, the Xfinity session only saw two yellow flags – one of which brought the session to a slightly premature close when Brandon Brown and Ryan Vargas encountered late issues on track.
That was good news in a sense, Cindric tipped, but he added there’s still a lot left to be learned – especially because he’s doing double duty and also competing in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
“It’s obviously a mixed bag. We got more practice than the truck guys did,” he said. “I kind of felt bad for those guys with all the mechanical [issue]s that series seemed to have, but a lot of outs and ins for me, so I think we won the award for how many changes can a team fit into a 50-minute practice session. I’m proud of my guys. We haven’t practiced in a while, so we came with a good plan and tried to execute.
“We obviously have a lot of speed in our Richmond/Menards Ford Mustang, so I’m excited for tomorrow. There are just a lot of unknowns,” Cindric added. “I think tire wear is going to be more than I expected compared to what the tire test looked like from here a couple months ago. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what the limitations are. … There’s definitely a lot to learn on the car setup as well as on my driving, so I think this weekend definitely provides a different opportunity.”
Despite an early power steering issue, Daniel Hemric was second quickest by the end of the day (2:17.845/89.057) in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by Cup Series regular Tyler Reddick, who was an impressive third (2:17.963/88.980) for Jordan Anderson Racing in the No. 31 Chevrolet.
All-time series wins leader Kyle Busch and A.J. Allmendinger filled out the top five, ahead of Noah Gragson, Alex Labbe, Justin Allgaier, Jeb Burton and Myatt Snider.
Cup Series regulars Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon struggled to get up to speed Friday, ranking 17th and 28th, respectively, in single-lap speed.
Xfinity Series playoff contender Ryan Sieg wasn’t able to turn a lap in practice due to engine issues.
Qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series is slated for Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, with live coverage on FS1.