Defending Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric showed up for media day at Daytona International Speedway with some captivating stories to tell – none of them about a race, however.
Cindric started out his DAYTONA 500 week locked out of his motorcoach; literally climbing underneath and through it to try and retrieve the keys. A month ago, Cindric also revealed, he served on a jury in North Carolina; the result a guilty verdict for murder.
“Very guilty,” Cindric said with a straight face.
As for winning NASCAR’s most celebrated race last year, Cindric was philosophical.
“How does it change Austin Cindric?” Cindric said. “It doesn’t change Austin Cindric at all, but it does change how I’m introduced and perceived. Some people will only and forever know who Austin Cindric is because he won the DAYTONA 500 and I’m totally fine with that, but it does change, and it did change throughout the entire year last year. It’s not rookie Austin Cindric, it’s DAYTONA 500 winner.
“It almost seems normal now, which is kind of weird because all of last year it’s like, ‘Oh my God, I did that, didn’t I.’”
As for this week, Cindric said, “I approach this weekend just like any other race because I think you need to mentally because it is the start of our season, but, otherwise, it’s certainly something fun to reflect on and kind of gives you perspective on big moments of your life and how you go about them and how you perceive yourself. Certainly, a lot more reflection than just any other race, for sure.”
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