Exciting Race Awaits at Daytona Road Course as Defending Champion Austin Cindric Starts Second Alongside Moffitt

Published 02/18/2021, 10:52 AM EST

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There is no time to rest for the Xfinity Series drivers, as Daytona Road Course approaches. The lineup for the Sunday race is out. And Brett Moffitt and Austin Cindric start on the front row for the Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona.

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Following the introduction of the metrics system by NASCAR, the weighted average means Brett Moffitt owing to his fast lap numbers places slightly ahead of Cindric. The 2020 Xfinity Series champion hence holds the key to making a good start from the outside pole.

That said, pole position never necessarily guarantees a great final finish. Therefore, building on that, many experienced Xfinity Series drivers will look to claim the lead as the race goes on.

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Allmendinger starts in sixth as Burton cousins start on the second row

Kaulig Racing’s Allmendinger has gained a good starting position owing to his 2020 exploits. The experienced NASCAR campaigner will now begin the road course race in fifth.

Meanwhile, cousins Jeb Burton and Harrison Burton will start together in the second row. The latter had a great campaign last year, picking up 4 wins and notching a few Top 5 finishes for Joe Gibbs Racing as well.

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Daniel Hemric, driving the Poppy Bank Toyota, begins the race in 5th. Elsewhere, a newcomer to the Xfinity Series in Natalie Decker will start 21st and will eye a Top 10 finish herself.

Austin Cindric won the road course race at Daytona in 2020

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All eyes though will be on the Team Penske No.22 on Saturday, when Cindric goes racing against Moffitt ahead of the rest of the pack. The 22-year-old had of course last year sealed a tremendous victory, setting the best lap time of 2:17:32 and averaging 81.894 on a tricky track.

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Participating in the 2021 Daytona 500, Cindric secured the fifteenth despite being involved in a fiery last-lap crash. It gave an insight into what he could bring to the table ahead of his full-time stint in the Cup Series from 2022 onwards.

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That said, he is still competing in the Xfinity Series this year and will look to defend his title. But make no mistake, he will face an immense fight from the other contenders, in what should be an interesting road course clash.

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Written by:

Bhargav Gopal

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Hailing from Bengaluru, Bhargav is an F1 and NASCAR author for EssentiallySports. He is a huge fan of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. Bhargav also has an MBA in Sports Management from the Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences, Pune.
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