What do you guys make of the NASCAR Day experience so far?
Austin Cindric (AC): It's been a lot of fun. I've lived in North Carolina all my life but I haven't had the chance to make it out to a Hurricanes game yet. It's a great atmosphere and I love watching hockey because you get to appreciate the speed and the team's ability to change players so quickly.
Ryan Blaney (RB):I actually had the opportunity to come out to a playoff game last year, one of the overtime winners against Nashville. It's nice to be back out here. It's a nice facility and not too far from where I live. I don't get to watch hockey a ton, but I love coming to games and learning more about it because it's such a fast sport. Plus, it's cool with the partnership with Advanced Auto Parts today and being able to bring the two together for NASCAR Day.
Ryan, what do you remember most about the playoff game you were at?
RB:Any playoff atmosphere of any sporting event is insane and I didn't know what to expect - but that was the most intense playoffs sporting event I'd been to.
And Austin, pre-game on Bally Sports you mentioned that the last time you were at a game that team went to the Stanley Cup?
AC:That's right. I went to a Predators game a couple years ago and they actually wound up going to the Finals that year.
So you're the good luck charm that the Canes needed?
AC:I'm just saying, I've done my part.
You two have both had the opportunity to sound the siren, how was that?
RB:It was wild. The energy was super cool and it was awesome to be part of it. I didn't know what to expect. How long do I do it? I didn't want to tip the thing over. It was almost like being the person who gets to wave the green flag at a race, so that was neat. That was something I'll always remember. It was hard to crank, but you're just so fired up to be able to do it, then you hear the crowd and it's exciting to get the guys ready to come out of the tunnel.
AC:That was a new experience. The one thing they don't tell you is that the siren is on wheels, so you have to plant that thing into the crowd while you're cranking it.
RB:Austin gave me a hard time because he said his was better because they scored two in the second and they only scored once in the first.
