Opportunistic Austin Cindric was due for a superspeedway win

It wasn't a question of if, but when Austin Cindric was going to win a superspeedway race in 2025. 

After his thrilling victory in Sunday's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the when has been determined. 

Cindric was one of the dominant drivers in the Daytona 500 and the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta, the first two drafting races of the year. At Daytona, he led 59 laps before finishing eighth after he was collected in a last-lap crash while battling for the lead. At Atlanta, he led 47 laps before a late crash relegated him from the top-five to a 28th-place result. 

The speed was there, but Cindric had yet to be in position to win in the race's waning moments. 

Maybe that was why when he was presented with an opportunity to win Sunday's race at Talladega, he took it. 

A 3.2 second pit stop for gas during the final green flag pit cycle of the race saw Cindric leapfrog several of his competitors that were on pit road at the same time as him. Once the field cycled around, it was Cindric leading the pack with 16 laps to go. 

The 2022 Daytona 500 winner refused to relinquish his grasp on one of the top-two spots for the remainder of the race. As the field came out of Turn 4 on the final lap, Cindric finally had the opportunity to race to the checkered flag. After a door-to-door battle with Ryan Preece — who was disqualified in post-race inspection — Cindric won by two one-hundredths of a second. 

"You keep swinging the bat the right way, eventually you're going to hit a homer," the fourth-year Cup Series driver said in his post-race news conference of finally closing out a race on a drafting track. 

The win is the third of his career, and the 26-year-old made sure to celebrate it. 

When Cindric walked into the media center for his news conference, the traditional wreath given to race winners was still around his neck. 

"I'm going to try and walk on the plane with this thing," Cindric said. 

It would be a well-deserved flight for a trophy that represents a victory that was a long time coming for Cindric, who has earned a Cup Series playoff berth for the third time in four seasons.