Austin Cindric was eliminated from the NASCAR playoffs following a wreck at the Charlotte Roval. The incident occurred when Carson Hocevar’s car hit Cindric’s from behind, causing a broken rear toe link on Cindric’s vehicle.
Cindric needed a victory in the race to advance to the next round of the playoffs. His hopes were dashed when Hocevar crashed into him during the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 5.
The collision happened early in Stage 2, with Hocevar’s car making contact with the rear of Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang. Both drivers spun out, and Cindric’s rear toe link was damaged. Though he managed to drive his car back to pit road, it was subsequently taken to the garage for repairs, ending his chances of continuing in the playoffs.
Coming into the race, Cindric was ranked 12th in the playoff point standings, 48 points below the cutline needed to advance. To move on, a win was essential. His only victory in 2025 came earlier in the season at Talladega in April. During the playoffs, his best finish was 12th place in the first race at Darlington.
Prior to Charlotte, Cindric experienced a setback with a 30th-place finish at Kansas, which caused him to fall back by 29 points in the standings.
In the same race, Hocevar, who is not competing in the playoffs this season, was also involved in another incident on the very first lap. He took out Kyle Busch by hitting him from the inside rear, bringing Busch’s day to an early end.
For more updates, reach out to Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or follow him on X @MikeOrganWriter.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nascar/2025/10/05/austin-cindric-crash-nascar-charlotte-roval-race-playoffs/86538865007/
