CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As Austin Cindric prepares to take on the Cup Series playoffs for the second time in his career, he sees his path to the Championship 4. As it turns out, it's quite similar to improving on the golf course.
Yes, you read that correctly -- golf.
"I feel like both my golf game and my playoffs, my mentality to get to the next step is to have to limit mistakes," Cindric explained during Playoff Media Day.
"I feel like the first -- the first two rounds really -- of the playoffs are all about not taking yourself out of it. And then you get to the Round of 8, that's where you've got to find the next gear. That's where you've got to try and win a race to expect to be in the Championship 4."
Cindric, now in his third full season of Cup Series competition, entered the year with two goals. The first, and most important, was to make the playoffs.
Cindric achieved this by winning at World Wide Technology Raceway in June. Cindric added two more playoff points by winning stages at Talladega and Atlanta.
The second goal was to break 100 in golf. Cindric has fallen short of this thus far, although he came close two weeks before the start of the Cup playoffs with a score of 101.
His downfall was a "snowman" midway through the round, which means it took eight strokes to get the ball in the hole. Courses tend to have holes requiring only three or four strokes for Par.
"With my golf game, I have the ability to make contact with the ball and make the damn thing go straight," Cindric said. "Just every once in a while, I'll take a chunk of Earth out before I ever touch the ball."
NASCAR is similar to golf in that manner. Sometimes, you put yourself in the perfect position and reap the benefits. Cindric did this as a rookie when he won the Daytona 500. He lined up on the front row for overtime and then he dove in front of teammate Ryan Blaney after taking the green flag.
Cindric continued to lead the bottom line while Brad Keselowski tried to make the outside line work. However, the battle for the crown jewel race came down to the final turn.
Blaney tried to dive to the outside of Cindric while Bubba Wallace moved low. Cindric blocked Blaney up by the wall and then he moved down the track and beat Wallace to the finish line. He made the moves he needed under immense pressure, and he won his first Cup race.
There are also times when you put yourself in the worst position. In golf, this could be sending a drive into a water hazard or a sand trap. In NASCAR, it could be putting your car in a spot where it could be involved in a wreck.
This season's spring race at Phoenix showcased this side of the sport. Derek Kraus spun in the first seven laps of the Cup race and stacked up the drivers that were racing around the 30th position. Cindric was among this group.
He tried to check up and navigate around Kraus but sustained significant damage on the right side of the No. 2 Ford. Cindric ended the day in last place after only six laps.
Breaking 100 in golf will become less of a priority for the next 10 weeks, but the mindset required to achieve success will remain.
The focus will be on going from the 10th seed in the 16-driver field to one of the four drivers competing for a Cup Series title at Phoenix in November.
This will not be a simple task considering that the first round features Atlanta, Watkins Glen, and Bristol. One is a drafting track with a tendency for chaos, one will feature a new tire with promised increased falloff, and one remains a complete unknown after stunning tire failures in the spring.
The Team Penske driver doesn't know if he will succeed this postseason. What he does know is that he has a big opportunity ahead of him.
"I feel like we're playing with house money," Cindric said. "Like, points reset, we're right in the middle of everything. We're seeded 10th, two points to the good.
"I couldn't really ask for more based on the season we've had. So I'm excited for it."