Austin Cindric was displeased with Kyle Larson following last weekend’s Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta, after the Hendrick Motorsports wheelman pushed him up the track, leading to a wreck in the final laps of the race.
Instead of getting into fisticuffs after the race, Cindric had a fascinating way of dealing with the situation. According to Larson, the Team Penske driver passed along his business card to Hendrick Motorsports, with the idea of the former NASCAR Cup Series champion getting in touch with him so they could clear the air.
“We texted a little bit this morning. We’re going to reach out to each other after all of our meetings and stuff. I look forward to talking to him. Obviously, I’m sorry. I don’t really know what else to say besides I’m sorry. I do have a lot of respect for him,” Larson said earlier this week, via the Stacking Pennies Podcast with Corey LaJoie. “I didn’t get to talk to him last night, but I heard — Cliff [Daniels] came over to me and said, ‘This is the most like, Penske way of anything.’
“I guess Austin Cindric went up to [Hendrick Motorsports President and GM] Jeff Andrews and said, ‘Hey Mr. Andrews, I’d really like a chance to speak to Kyle. Here’s my business card.’ So, he gave Jeff Andrews his business card, and he gave it to me. I got his number that way.”
That’s certainly not the usual way NASCAR wheelmen handle their business, but Larson was actually impressed by the gesture. He told LaJoie that he gained respect for the former Daytona 500 champion after the whole ordeal, and it’ll likely lead to them squashing any beef between them.
“I like that. I gained respect hearing of that,” Larson added. “Like, that’s so old school. Nowadays, it’s like, ‘Hey William [Byron] or hey Alex [Bowman], do you have Cindric’s number?’ Like, no. He went ahead. I thought that was great.”
Perhaps more NASCAR drivers will resort to business cards instead of fighting after races in the future. With the way the field was talking about Carson Hocevar following last weekend’s event, he might have to get in on that.
All told, Austin Cindric suffered some tough luck so far this season, as he was in the mix to win at both Daytona and Atlanta before late wrecks took him out. Perhaps this weekend he’ll avoid a clash with Kyle Larson and any other driver, and compete for the win once again at COTA in Austin, Texas.
