NASCAR driver finally wins award he really won 10 weeks ago

Austin Cindric was officially crowned Sunoco Rookie of the Year of the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, 10 weeks after actually clinching the title.

In his first race as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric became a Daytona 500 champion, and with that, he secured his first playoff berth in his first season as Brad Keselowski’s replacement behind the wheel of the #2 Ford.

Cindric became the first rookie driver to qualify for the playoffs since Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer did so in the 2020 season by winning the July race at Kentucky Speedway.

No other rookies qualified for the playoffs throughout the 26-race 2022 regular season, guaranteeing that Cindric would be the only rookie to finish inside the top 16 in the point standings and thus securing him the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award once the regular season concluded.

Now that the entire 36-race season is over, 10 weeks after the 16-driver playoff field was solidified, the 24-year-old Columbus, Ohio native has officially been crowned Sunoco Rookie of the Year for 2022.

Some fans were quick to point out the fact that he technically clinched the award in August, with some even mentioning that he might as well have clinched it all the way back in February when he won the Great American Race to lock up his playoff spot, though additional rookies still could have qualified for the playoffs from then until the end of the regular season.

Just two other rookie drivers competed full-time throughout the 2022 season.

Harrison Burton drove the #21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing and finished in 27th place in the championship standings with a top finish of third at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and Todd Gilliland drove the #38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports and finished in 28th in the standings with a top finish of fourth at the same venue.

Cindric finished the season in 13th place in the standings with nine top 10 finishes, including five top five finishes and four top three finishes.

In addition to his season-opening win at Daytona International Speedway, he finished in third place at the track to conclude the regular season. He also finished in third at Atlanta Motor Speedway and second at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.