Austin Cindric optimistic about Phoenix given Xfinity history, Cup speed

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Austin Cindric has gotten a good feel for the Next Gen car, figuratively and literally. The Cup Series rookie won the brand-new whip’s first race of the season at Daytona International Speedway. He then earned the pole award at Auto Club Speedway for the second race. And on Saturday, he topped the practice leaderboard at Phoenix Raceway in preparation for the fourth race. As for the third race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, well, proof of this feeling isn’t stats-based. “My right butt cheek was on fire after like two (practice) laps because I don’t have the muscle memory for this car,” Cindric said. “The reason I say that is because Xfinity (Series) cars or the previous generation car had more side force and more yaw in the corner, and your body is in a different position and you are bracing yourself in a different position. Things that are just easy muscle memory are now orientated much differently. It is like if you were to put your seat in a different spot. “Those things are becoming more normal and that will continue to progress.” PHOENIX: Weekend schedule | Paint schemes | Betting odds That’s where the literal feel comes into play. Cindric has finished first, 12th and 19th in the three races so far. Sunday’s Ruoff Mortgage 500 is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN and SiriusXM). It’ll be Cindric’s first Cup Series race at the 1-mile Arizona track. But at the Xfinity Series level, where he’ll forever be known as champion, Cindric has two victories in eight career starts. He claimed his championship in overtime at Phoenix during the 2020 season finale, leading 72 of the 206 laps. He then returned in March the next year and won again, this time owning the front spot for a race-high 199 of 200 regulation laps. Cindric came 0.03 seconds short of defending his title in 2021, falling second to Daniel Hemric in the last showdown. Even then, Cindric held P1 for a race-best 113 of 204 laps. “That is pretty important to me this weekend,” Cindric said. “I am a big believer that we are still just driving cars on a race track. There are a lot of differences with the car and on the aero side, but it is still the same race track. Track-prep wise, it has perhaps evolved in a different way from the last time we were here and will continue to do so, but it is still the same race track. So, I am trying to subjugate the things that I have learned about this car versus the things I already know about the track.” PHOENIX: Practice results | Starting lineup Cindric will fire off eighth Sunday, his fourth straight start within the top 10. The No. 2 Team Penske Ford turned the second-fastest lap in Round 1 of qualifying -- 27.359 seconds at 131.584 mph -- and was a tick faster in Round 2 – 27.299 seconds at 131.873 mph. Teammate Ryan Blaney took the pole, 0.0582 seconds quicker than Cindric. Qualifying came after practice, as the two sessions return in 2022 after a COVID-19 hiatus, and Cindric was the fastest in the tune-up laps. He circled in 27.462 seconds at 131.09 mph. That was 0.009 seconds quicker than Blaney, who was second. “Every weekend I have been peaking in qualifying,” Cindric said, “so hopefully I didn’t peak in practice this week.”