2-time cup winner Austin Cindric has garnered impressive success over his young career. Cindric got his first taste of cup stardom on February 24, 2019, at the Monster Energy Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motorspeedway. He stood in for Brad Keselowski after he succumbed to flu-like symptoms during final race practice. 6 months later, on September 29, 2019, he would stand in again for Michael McDowell at the Bank of Americal Roval 400 at Charlotte. In 2021, he officially debuted as a part-time cup driver with Team Penske before moving full-time in 2022.
Although he was only 24, it seemed like the rookie had it all figured out after an impressive Daytona 500 win. This was historic for Cindric, who became the ninth driver in NASCAR history to earn a first cup title at the Great American Race. However, Austin Cindric seems displeased with how the first few seasons of his career have fared and has since opened up about the nuances of being a young cup driver. Can he overcome the difficulties he’s faced over the past three seasons?
Austin Cindric’s On-Track Woes
At 26 years old, Austin Cindric’s career has been quite fruitful, but he’s still wrestling with the fact that he’s only acquired two cup titles in three years. The No. 02 Ford Driver feels that the past two seasons are no different than when he first began as a rookie in 2022. Cindric spoke candidly about these woes before the Nov. 22 NASCAR Awards Banquet in Charlotte, stating, “I feel like I’ve had three rookie seasons to start my cup career.”
Moreover, in the past three cup seasons, Cindric has earned ten top-fives, 21 top-tens, 43 top-fifteens, and 59 top-twenties, two wins, a start of 16.0, and a finish of 19.48. In Contrast, during his Xfinity run, he secured 62 top-fives, 89 top-tens, and 13 wins with an average start of 6.6 and a finish of 10.7. Based on those numbers, there’s no question he did better in points with the Xfinity Series, but can Cindric resurrect this success after reaching a cup plateau? Austin Cindric described this experience transitioning into the Cup Series as a big jump and highly competitive.
The Cup Series has become more competitive than in recent years, and there’s simply no room for mistakes at the top-tier level. The Team Penske driver embraces the challenges before him and states he embraces his fellow competitors. “I love it because I feel it’s all about showcasing the best individuals,” he said. “When you’re not the best on a certain day, there’s a penalty for it, and it’s your performance,” he added. Based on his 2024 stats, there’s no argument with only 4 top-fives, 7 to-tens, a single win, an average start of 15. 2, and a finish of 19.92.
Can He Recover From 2024?
Though Austin Cindric’s career has faced grave challenges in 2024, he’s ready to start over in 2025. His start thus far has been compared to 3-time cup winner Joey Logano, who amassed only a single win his first three seasons with Penske. Logano also struggled to make the playoffs, which Cindric has grappled with as a young driver. In playoff standings, the Team Penske Driver has only earned 2 fourth-place finishes, two tenth-place finishes, and 27th or higher in 10 races to qualify for the playoffs. He capped off the 2024 season with a 13th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10, but like Logano, he has much room to improve.
It took Logano sixteen seasons as a full-time cup driver to surmount success, and he’s currently the youngest three-time cup champion, 34 years old, with room to grow. Feeding off of Logano’s success and example, there’s hope for Austin Cindric. Cindric views his teammate’s struggles as an example of what it means to face adversity in one of the most challenging disciplines in motorsports and prevail. The No.2 Ford driver sincerely hopes he’ll be able to follow in Logano’s footsteps as well as Ryan Blaney’s, who has performed similarly.
He realizes how important it is to perform and win races and will continue to watch and learn how to apply the resources Team Penske provides. Hopefully, the offseason will give Austin Cindric the chance to strategize how to rise to the level of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. When asked how motivated he was to join ranks with his teammates, he replied, “More than you’ll ever know.” It will certainly be interesting to see how this pans out and if he reaches the top tier in 2025.
“So for me, I think that’s a great example of you have to do what’s best for you and your team and utilize the best resources in a way that makes the most sense for you and your group,” Austin Cindric said.
Final Thoughts
Can Austin Cindric rise to the challenge and join the top tier with Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney? The off-season should benefit Cindric and give him time to reflect on 2024 and make changes. Hopefully, he’ll continue to pull from the examples set by his Team Penske teammates, and when he’s back on the track in February, he will add a third cup title to his list of accomplishments.
