Austin Cindric's crew chief details what he learned from Ford teammates ahead of Gateway win

Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway was a prime example of why NASCAR Cup Series crew chiefs get paid the big bucks. 

As Ryan Blaney ran out of gas on the final lap, his Team Penske teammate, 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric, got around Blaney and took the checkered flag for himself, breaking an 85-race winless streak and putting himself and the No. 2 team back in the playoffs after missing them in 2023. 

The difference between Blaney and Cindric's respective final pit stops? One lap. 

Brian Wilson, the man behind Cindric's winning effort, took to the podium after Sunday's race to discuss the team's day. 

"It was a great day for Ford to have two of our cars up front," Wilson said, giving a nod to Cindric's teammates in Blaney and 2022 Gateway winner Joey Logano. "For the No. 2 car specifically, it was going to be a good day. But on the final lap, it turned into a great day for us. We've made a lot of progress this year. I feel like we're building towards this, to be able to compete for wins."

With Ford being so fast on Saturday, and a Penske car in Joey Logano winning at the track in 2022, Wilson says that having teammates to lean on was a big advantage. 

"That's when a notebook works at its best," Wilson said. "Austin was very happy with his car last year. We knew what we needed to work on. We've got notes from the No. 12 car, who ran well last year, and from the No. 22. The way that it works the best is when you can take pieces of that and look at what's different. Without a doubt, we took a lot of that information. That's when a notebook works really well, is when you can combine all of that and give your driver what he needs."

Cindric and Wilson will look for back-to-back victories when the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Sonoma on June 9.