Austin Cindric endured a scary moment in the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
While running 19th on lap 108, Cindric’s Team Penske Ford blew a tire and he hit the wall.
As Cindric drove his damaged car to the pits, his wheel sheered off, came out of the tire and rolled down the track.
Austin Cindric blows a tire and hits the wall. Then the wheel breaks off. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/eZpwvypO0q
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) May 7, 2023
It’s not unusual to see drivers lose a tire and wheel, especially after an accident, but to have a wheel alone sheer off is much more rare.
It was the second loose wheel of the race. Chase Briscoe lost a tire while driving off pit road earlier in the race. The tire rolled down pit road before coming to a stop in another pit stall, where a crewman gathered it up. Briscoe backed down pit road to get another tire.
Chase Briscoe's tire comes off before exiting pit road. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/1gSWsFnjUZ
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) May 7, 2023
NASCAR fans reacted to the loose wheels.
With both @AustinCindric and @ChaseBriscoe_14 having a wheel detach, today's race is the first since @MonsterMile last year in which 2 wheels detached in the same race.#NASCAR | #AdventHealth400 | #NASCAR75
— Seth Eggert (@SethEggert91) May 7, 2023
Austin Cindric hits the wall in turn 1 after a right-front tire went down on lap 107. He lost a wheel on the way back to the pits.
Cindric seems to be in a sophomore slump. He has finished 26th or worse in 4 of the last 5 races and only 2 top-10s in the first 11 races. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/P3ULeJWxCA
— Jonathan Fjeld (@Jonathan_Fjeld) May 7, 2023
Austin Cindric and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season continues
— Alexander (@AlextheAdm1ral) May 7, 2023
Looks like One of Austin Cindric’s crew members is gonna have a 4 race vacation
— Christian Carver (@cc49ers) May 7, 2023
In case anyone was wondering, @ChaseBriscoe_14‘s wheel is the 19th to be detached in the Cup Series since the inception of @NASCAR‘s #NextGen car last year.#NASCAR | #AdventHealth400 | #NASCAR75 https://t.co/THRHh8rZ6V
— Seth Eggert (@SethEggert91) May 7, 2023
[FS1; Photo Credit: FS1]
