NASCAR: 5 drivers who have been underperforming

Underperforming NASCAR drivers: No. 5 – Austin Cindric

2023 championship odds: +25000 at DraftKings Sportsbook (bet $5 to instantly win $150!)

Ford’s struggles to start the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season have not been a secret, but Austin Cindric finds himself well behind where he would like to be and probably should be, even amid said struggles.

Cindric has just two top 10 finishes this season, and he has finished higher than 19th place just once in the last 10 events. He has finished in 23rd or worse 10 times in 16 races, and he has yet to finish higher than sixth.

Teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, meanwhile, have both found victory lane this year, and they have combined for nine top five finishes. They find themselves in third and ninth place in the point standings, respectively, while Cindric sits down in 21st, well outside of the provisional playoff picture.

All things considered, Cindric hasn’t had the results he has wanted ever since winning last year’s Daytona 500, a win which he ended up needing to secure his first career playoff spot. Yet even last year he still managed to score nine top 10 finishes, five of which were top five finishes. He hasn’t had nearly as much success in 2023.

The good thing for Cindric is that five of the remaining 10 races on this year’s regular season schedule are either superspeedway races or races with both left and right turns. Of his 12 career top 10 finishes, 10 have come in such races, including all of his top five results.