Ford Racing has been on a winning rampage lately. They swept the podium in the 4600 class at King of The Hammers and dominated at the Clash at the Coliseum. They scored yet another major victory: a first place finish at the 2022 Daytona 500. Not only did Ford Racing take the top spot on the podium, they also managed to take seven of the top ten positions, including third place. While this feat is impressive, what is really striking is the age of the driver.

Austin Cindric, in the Discount Tire number 2 car, is the second youngest rookie to win the Daytona 500. At the age of 23, Cindric is only 3 years older than the record holder Trevor Bayne. Cindric is not a newcomer to the professional sport though, he started racing the Xfinity series in 2018. He even won the 2020 Xfinity championship. His debut at the Daytona 500 was in 2021 where he was leading near the end of the race, however, a late crash resulted in him finishing in 15th place. This year was his time to shine, as the young driver managed to avoid pile ups and maintain the lead in overtime to pull off the win

The young driver forced his way to the front of the pack, after what could aptly be described as a “musical chairs of crashing.” Early in the race, Harrison Burton lost control and snagged William Byron and Ross Chastain. Another wreck negated Denny Hamlin’s chance at the winner’s circle. The race was red-flagged with only nine laps left when Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick tangled, putting Harvick out of contention. Almost immediately after the red flag, the leaders Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chris Buescher crashed out. This opened the opportunity for Cindric to gain first place. The final straight away proved to be a drag race, as Cindric held off Bubba Wallace by a mere .036-seconds.

“I’m surrounded by great people. That’s all there is to it,” Team Penske’s Driver Cindric said. “I know there’s going to be highs and lows, being a rookie in a field of drivers this strong. I’m just grateful for the opportunity, excited to climb the mountain we’ve got ahead of us on the two teams.”

It looks like the Ford Racing win streak continues. 2022 is starting to look a lot more promising with well rounded drivers pushing the Fords to top positions.