February 21, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

Graduating to NASCAR's Cup Series was worth the wait for Austin Cindric

DAYTONA, Fla.--Austin Cindric understands the concept of delayed gratification.

After winning the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series title, he could have easily insisted on moving up to the Cup Series. But at Team Penske, that’s the Captain’s call. And when Roger Penske insisted that Cindric needed another year in the minors, the driver listened.

For the 23-year-old third-generation racer, the opportunity was worth the wait. On Sunday, in just his eighth Cup start, Cindric wheeled the flagship No. 2 Ford into Daytona 500 Victory Lane on Penske’s 85th birthday.

“He's a lot more than just my boss, when I think of it,” Cindric said of Penske. “Next to my parents, he's probably been the most influential person on my life, whether leading by example or the way he treats people, the way he runs his business and how he is with his family.”

Cindric could be considered extended family. Cindric’s father, Tim, has been at the helm of Team Penske since 2006. The elder Cindric joined the Penske fold in 1999, the year after Austin was born.

“I go back when he was playing with his toys in his bedroom in Redding (Penn.), so I've seen him grow up as a young man. He's been focused, he's been a student of the game, is a smart young man,” Penske said.

“I think he works with the team well. He's in the shop all the time. And he's a team player, and he understands his position.”

Cindric’s family tree has motorsports on both branches. His paternal grandfather, Carl Cindric, raced and built engines. His mother’s father, Jim Trueman, raced and won the 1986 Indianapolis 500 with Bobby Rahal as a car owner.

At 10, Cindric told his father he wanted to have a life-changing discussion. That’s when he revealed to his parents that he wanted to become a race car driver. With his mother and father coming from racing backgrounds, they hoped their son’s desire would wane. It didn’t.

Tim Cindric arranged to have his son participate in the Summer Shootout in a bandolero at Charlotte Motor Speedway. By the time he was 16, when most kids are just applying for their driver’s license, Cindric was racing sports cars internationally.

NASCAR didn’t appear to be the natural progression but the competition enticed the young driver. The family sprinkled in ARCA and truck starts before campaigning full-time on Brad Keselowski’s truck team in 2017 with fellow rookie Chase Briscoe, who would become one of his best friends.

Cindric was 19 when he graduated to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Although he didn’t win the first year, he qualified for the 2018 Playoffs and finished eighth. Cindric made significant progress over the next two seasons eventually winning six races and the title in 2020.

After three full years on the Xfinity tour, moving to Cup was certainly an option for the then 22-year-old racer. But after watching Joey Logano’s early struggles in Cup and the pressures he faced trying to fill the shoes of former champion Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske thought better of it.

“Probably one of the tougher meetings I had with him was when we decided not to put him into Cup, had him run another year and then he won the championship,” Penske said. “He took it like a man, and you could see that, as far as I was concerned. He said, ‘You make the call. I'm going to make it happen.’ That's exactly what he did.

“He's a mature man at his age, and there's no question you could see his driving ability today.”

No doubt there will be struggles—as is the case with any rookie entering stock car’s top tour. But after winning the season opener, the pressure is off to make the Playoffs. Cindric is locked in. And no matter what else happens, he will always be known as the 2021 Daytona 500 winner.

But don’t expect the accomplishments to go to his head. His father will make sure of that.

“I told Austin, the day his helmet doesn’t fit anymore, we’re going to have real problems,” Tim Cindric said with a chuckle during an interview Monday morning on SiriusXM Radio.

The Penske ‘family’ enjoyed its traditional 500 celebration with the Harley J. Earl trophy at Steak-n-Shake. Then Cindric and his father relaxed in the hotel’s hot tub knowing a full day of post-race responsibilities lie ahead.

Under the direction of Team Penske, Cindric knows his future is in good hands.

“If I can be half the man Roger Penske is, I'd say I've lived a good life,” Cindric said. “Think of an amazing opportunity. A lot of people talk about I get the opportunities that I do and I've become successful because of who my father is and what he's done in his life, and I think it's the exposure to those people have meant more to me, have meant more to my career, as far as leading and doing things the right way, than any other advantage anyone else can have.

“So I feel really blessed to be able to do that and utilize that experience in my life from a young age, to be able to put myself on the front of the biggest stage and obviously have a great time doing it.”