From Noah’s in-car it looks like the 77 dive-bombed the 15 which caused the 15 to get into Cindric spinning him out. pic.twitter.com/J8JjA5J4qs
— Elizabeth (@echia99) April 7, 2024
While it didn’t get any airplay on FS1’s race broadcast, there was a crash back in the pack as the NASCAR Cup Series field was heading to the stripe to take the white flag in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
According to a replay of Noah Gragson’s on board camera, shared by X user @echia99, it looked like Carson Hocevar attempted to make a dramatic three-wide pass on Kaz Grala and Austin Cindric, and he simply ran out of room.
Hocevar made contact with Grala, which sent Grala into Cindric, which sent Cindric spinning, and Gragson made contact with Cindric.
At the end of it all, Cindric received a lot of damage, and his potential top-15 finish turned into a disappointing 23rd-place finish. A fan in the stands, who maintains the X profile @LugnutMedia also captured video of the incident from their vantage point in the stands:
I gotchu pic.twitter.com/Dq7cOeeG15
— Lugnut (@LugnutMedia) April 7, 2024
After the race, Cindric talked to TobyChristie.com about the incident, and he wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but correctly predicted that somebody dove inside of him to make it three-wide.
“Somebody probably made it three wide, and wrecked me and a couple of other guys. That’s what happened,” Cindric explained.
Cindric continued by saying, “Can’t do anything about getting wrecked at the end of a race.”
Cindric felt he had decent speed throughout the race, he and his team just made a couple of crucial errors that cost them down the stretch.
“We have some areas to improve,” Cindric stated. “I think I made a bad call in the choose, lost us a couple (of positions). I think the strategy didn’t play out there running long, lost a couple, probably lost the lead lap. Yeah, it’s part of it. Good solid speed, it’s so hard to make up the track position stuff.”
Kaz Grala, the other driver that was put into the three-wide situation posted on X, “Got absolutely obliterated for no reason lol”
Got absolutely obliterated for no reason lol https://t.co/XefpLAkjjC
— Kaz Grala (@KazGrala) April 7, 2024