Austin Cindric seeks his seventh consecutive NASCAR National Series playoff berth this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway is no doubt going to be a must-see race TV. There are a plethora of drivers vying for one NASCAR Cup Series playoff spot before the ten-race playoff season kicks off next weekend at Darlington. Fifteen of the 16 playoff spots are spoken for, leaving a total of 17 drivers eligible to become the final competitor to vie for the 2023 championship.

Seventeen Drivers Vying for One NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Berth

Bubba Wallace currently occupies the final position, and Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suarez are the only two drivers mathematically capable of earning the last championship-eligible slot on points alone. But 14 drivers would make the post-season with a win at the 2.5-mile Daytona Beach oval.

Since this playoff format introduction in 2014, two drivers have earned a post-season berth by going to victory lane in the regular season finale (William Byron in 2020 and Austin Dillon in 2022).

Who to Watch at Daytona

A driver with a great shot at doing such is the 2022 Daytona 500 champion Austin Cindric. Of the 14 drivers that need to win to get in, Cindric is one of five with a prior victory at the ‘World Center of Racing.’ Justin Haley, Cindric’s Ford teammate Aric Almirola, Erik Jones. and Austin Dillon also have victories at the superspeedway.

“Obviously, we had a really great shot at winning and sweeping both Daytona events last year, but we’ve had some strong speedway cars and feel like speedway racing has evolved a lot since last year, but there’s been a lot to dive into this week,” said Cindric during a mid-week Ford media availability.

“The meat and potatoes of the race is still very important, but from a confidence standpoint I get confidence in my preparation, and I would say my preparation tells me that things have changed a lot since the first superspeedway race we did that I won, so I am very open-minded to how things have evolved with this car throughout races.

“From a racing standpoint, I think your competitors are a lot closer than what they were to start, so trying to differentiate yourself and make high percentage moves is key to being able to find success at the end of the day.”

Daytona International Speedway is a Wild Card Season Finale

With the chaotic racing and wild wrecks that are standard at superspeedways these days, some drivers will employ a strategy where they lag near the rear of the field for most of the race, waiting to pounce in the waning laps of the event. But don’t expect to see that strategy from the 24-year-old driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

“I’ve never really understood the whole ride around in the back thing unless you’re trying to save fuel or you’re so good on points that there’s absolutely nothing to gain,” said Cindric.

“But the way I see it there are so many guys that have so much to gain by getting points this weekend, even guys that are locked into the playoffs that can guarantee themselves six or eight more playoff points versus their competitors. I think everyone has something to race for this weekend, so I see very few, but I’ve never really quite understood the mentality, so, no, you will not see me riding at the back.”

Austin Cindric Seeks His Seventh Consecutive NASCAR National Series Playoff Berth

In six years of full-time competition at the NASCAR national level, Cindric has been a member of the playoff field every season. Saturday night at Daytona, Cindric is seeking his seventh consecutive National Series playoff berth.

In the NASCAR Truck Series, he owns a third-place finish in 2017. Making the field in four consecutive years of NASCAR Xfinity Series competition from 2018 to 2021, Cindric went on to win the championship in 2020 with a second-place finish in 2021. Building on his success, Cindric was promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series level in 2022.

“It’ll be different territory next week if I’m not in the playoffs. There are times in my career where I’ve had to fight to get into the playoffs. That’s the point of the playoff format, so I have been there before and even trying to make it round to round in the playoffs is a similar situation.

“My playoff experience probably, I would say mentally would help someone in this situation because it is the same, similar win and you’re in. You have to execute on one day even in the Championship 4 situation, so I think just being able to have experience racing under pressure definitely doesn’t hurt and you mix that with speedway racing and it’s gonna be a hell of a weekend.”

Cindric Knows His Goals

And if he doesn’t make the playoffs, what are Cindric’s goals for the final ten races of the 2023 season?

“Be the best teammate and win a race. Those are my two most important goals in order.”

Watch the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 26th on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.