Strong Indy showings could spur playoff runs for Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez

Both Austin Cindric and Daniel Suarez may be locked into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs by virtue of wins earlier in the season, but their performance over the course of the year hasn't been playoff-worthy. 

Suarez and Cindric sit 17th and 19th in regular-season points, respectively, but top-10 runs for both drivers in the Brickyard 400 on July 21 could be the turning points for both of their seasons. 

Cindric's seventh-place finish at Indianapolis was his first top-10 effort since his win in St. Louis on June 2, while Suarez's eighth-place finish was his best finish since a ninth-place run at Iowa on June 16.

Neither driver has had the season they wanted — or could necessarily afford to have — through the first 22 races, but the top-10 runs in one of NASCAR's crown jewel races need to be the shot in the arm that spurs a playoff run. 

Both drivers are driving their respective organization's flagship cars, and with that responsibility comes a pressure unique to racing. Cindric has been thrust into the same car driven by champions Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Rusty Wallace. While Suarez's team, Trackhouse Racing, is only in its fourth Cup Series season, it was Suarez and his No. 99 car that set the team off on their maiden voyage. 

Suarez and Cindric are both similar, at least when the stat sheet is involved. Both drivers are Xfinity Series champions, and both drivers have two Cup Series victories at the time of writing, one of which for each driver came at a superspeedway. 

Both Cindric and Suarez likely understand the situation they're in — a playoff run of some sort is likely needed for them to stay in the good graces of their organizations.