Drivers/Teams

Biography

After establishing himself as one of the brightest rising stars in NASCAR, Austin Cindric is ready for new challenges and new opportunities in 2022 as he competes in his rookie NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season with Team Penske and the No. 2 Discount Tire/Menards Ford Mustang team.

Cindric brings four years of NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) experience, including the 2020 Drivers’ Championship and the 2021 Owner’s title, to his first full season racing in Cup Series. Under the guidance of experienced crew chief Jeremy Bullins, the 23-year-old racer is ready to carry on the No. 2 Ford team’s tradition of success as he contends for Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors while ushering in NASCAR’s Next Gen era this season.

In 2021, Cindric and the No. 22 Team Penske Ford team provided a strong defense of their NXS title. The team enjoyed a memorable run, which culminated with the Xfinity Series Owner’s Championship and a second-place effort in the Driver’s title standings.

Cindric began the 2021 NXS season right where he left off in 2020 – in Victory Lane. Cindric won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, marking Team Penske’s first Xfinity Series win at the 2.5-mile speedway and the first for Cindric in seven starts at Daytona. Cindric and the No. 22 Ford Mustang team captured four more race wins, 22 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes, led 1,150 laps and produced a series-high 13 season stage wins as they won the Owner’s championship while battling for the Driver’s title to the final lap of the season.

In addition to his fourth full season of NXS competition, the Mooresville, N.C. native made his NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) debut in 2021, driving in select events for Team Penske. Driving the No. 33 Ford Mustang, Cindric produced a solid 15th-place finish in his first career start in the Daytona 500. Over the course of the NCS season, Cindric made seven starts, led eight laps, and earned his first career top-10 finish with a ninth-place result in the series’ first-ever race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

The 2020 NXS season featured an incredible championship performance by Cindric and the No. 22 Ford team, as they overcame the challenges of competing during a global pandemic. Becoming just the second driver in Xfinity Series history to win five out of six races, Cindric swept the doubleheader weekend at Kentucky Speedway, produced a victory at Texas Motor Speedway and earned back-to-back wins at Road America and the inaugural road course race at Daytona International Speedway. The victory at Road America also marked Team Penske’s 200th NASCAR win.

As he led 947 laps and captured 11 stage victories in the No. 22 Ford, Cindric became the first Team Penske driver to claim the regular season championship under the series’ updated points system.  With steady performances throughout the NXS Playoffs, Cindric raced his way into the Championship 4 title race at Phoenix Raceway. In his 100th career NXS start, Cindric dominated the championship battle as he led 72 laps and pulled away from the competition during a thrilling overtime race restart to earn his eighth career series victory and his first NASCAR championship.

In 2019, Cindric performed with consistency over the course of the 33-race NXS season. The young driver won back-to-back races in the middle of the season, capturing his first career NXS victory with a triumph on the Watkins Glen International road course. The following weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course, Cindric produced a dominant performance for his second consecutive victory, as he won from the the pole and led 46 of 75 laps on the historic road course. In his second full NXS season, and first with Team Penske, Cindric advanced to the Round of 8 in the 2019 NXS Playoffs before finishing sixth in the final series standings.

In his first full NXS season, Cindric proved he could adapt to changing environments as he raced for two different organizations and three different teams while he produced solid results across the board in 2018. He made nine starts for Roush-Fenway Racing, drove the No. 12 Ford Mustang for Team Penske for eight races and raced the No. 22 Team Penske Ford in 16 events as he closed the season with a memorable run in his first NASCAR Playoff experience. The youngest of the 12 drivers to qualify for the NXS postseason, Cindric captured three poles and posted podium results at Mid-Ohio and the Charlotte Roval as he finished eighth in the championship standings.

In 2017, Cindric made his NXS debut racing at Road America for Team Penske. Competing in the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, Cindric started on the pole when the field was set by Owner points and he delivered a solid 16th-place result. The effort contributed to Team Penske's fourth NXS Owner’s championship won by the team that season. Cindric also raced the full NASCAR Truck Series season, competing for BKR, the team then owned by his Team Penske teammate, Brad Keselowski. Cindric earned his first Truck Series victory from the pole at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He delivered 16 top-10 finishes, eight top-five results, one pole position and he led 106 laps on his way to finishing third in the Truck Series championship standings.

Cindric made his NASCAR debut in 2015 competing in two Truck Series events for BKR. He returned to BKR in 2016 and recorded three top-20 finishes in four races that season. Cindric also captured his first ARCA Racing Series victory in 2016 at Kentucky Speedway, and he produced two wins in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East events at Watkins Glen International and Virginia International Raceway that same season.

Despite his young age, Cindric is considered one of the most diverse drivers competing in NASCAR.  Along with his stock car experience, Cindric has also competed in select IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races, including the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and he earned two wins in the IMSA Pilot Challenge Series. Cindric has also raced in the Pirelli World Challenge Series, Red Bull Global Rallycross and the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship over the course of his young career.

The 23-year-old Cindric currently resides in Mooresville, NC.

Cindric Key Accomplishments:

• Crowned 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Champion
• Earned Team Penske’s fifth NXS Owners’ Championship finished second in Driver’s Standings in 2021
• Produced 13 career Xfinity Series victories entering the 2022 season
• Earned a spot in the NXS Playoffs in each of the last four seasons
• Scored a memorable 2021 win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, winning the 18th Annual Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard
• Produced Team Penske’s first Xfinity Series victory at Daytona International Speedway to open the 2021 season
• Earned a thrilling overtime victory at Phoenix to claim the 2020 NXS championship
• Became just the second driver in NXS history to win five of six series races with impressive run in 2020
• Won four races in the 2015 Global RallyCross Lites division and finished second in championship standings
• Earned a bronze medal in the 2014 X-Games in RallyCross competition