51ºÚÁÏ

Two came at high-profile venues.

Cindric won the Daytona 500 as a rookie in 2022. Just four months ago, he came out on top in the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama.

The wins at those historic venues were life-altering events.

Yet his third career win, sandwiched between those two, was equally thrilling.

Cindric captured the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, on June 2, 2024.

The 26-year-old passed Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney on the last lap in an exciting finish that had the crowd on its feet.

Cindric celebrated just as hard as he did in his more high-profile wins.

And the defending champion would love to do it again when the fourth edition of the Enjoy Illinois 300 takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday at the 1.25-mile oval.

“Winning a race is cause for celebration,� Cindric said. “No matter a famous track or not. I’ll never forget what I did here last year.�

Cindric leads a talented field into the race, which is the second of this season’s playoff round.

The Columbus, Ohio, native knows he will have his work cut out.

“Past success (here) doesn’t quite equal future success,� Cindric said. “But I’m looking forward to this.�

The bespectacled Cindric said the banked oval suits his running style.

Plus, he simply feels comfortable at the track

“It fits our engine package and some of our other strengths,� Cindric said. “It’s a unique track with how long the straightaways are and how tight the corners are. There are times where it’s a little tough to navigate, but we feel good running here.�

The Enjoy Illinois 300 caps off a busy weekend on the east side.

The Xfinity Series will hold its weekend event, the Nu Way 200, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Former 51ºÚÁÏ Cardinals pitcher and country music singer Adam Wainwright will perform right after Saturday’s race.

The three-day affair kicks off at 3 p.m. Friday as fans will be allowed in to watch the Xfinity practice sessions. They will be allowed to walk the track around 5:30 p.m.

Several more concerts will be held following the Cup Series race on Sunday. Jon Pardi leads the way with a 7 p.m. show.

Cindric has struggled somewhat since the win at Talladega on April 27 with no top nine finishes over the last 13 races, including a 12th-place effort in the postseason opener at Darlington last weekend.

“The season has been coming in waves and I think it does that for everyone,� Cindric said. “It pays to be patient and remind yourself that it’s going to turn in your favor. I feel like as a team, we’re pretty dialed in.�

Cindric is one of three Team Penske drivers along with Blaney and Joey Logano.

The NASCAR Cup Series 10-race postseason and will conclude with the championship race Nov. 2 in Phoenix. The series is divided into three three-race stretches where the title field will be trimmed to 16, 12 and eight.

Cindric qualified in the 10th spot for the playoffs. Kyle Larson took the regular-season crown and is considered the favorite for the overall title.

“We probably haven’t been finishing where we should given how we’ve been running for most of the day,� Cindric said. “But that can change at any time.�

Coming home

Justin Allgaier will be one of the favorites in Saturday’s Xfinity race.

Allgaier was raised in Riverton, Illinois, about 99 miles northeast of the track.

He currently sits in second place in the series standings, 20 points behind leader Connor Zilisch, who captured last week’s race in Portland, Oregon.

Allgaier is expected to have plenty of support from family and friends.

“It’s definitely going to be a special weekend,� Allgaier said. “Racing the close to home always means more. Hopefully, we can go out and put on a great show and come away with the win.�

The 39-year old attended Riverton High and went on Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, where he majored in engineering from 2004 to 2006.