Austin Cindric Bio
Austin Louis Cindric, born on September 2, 1998, in Columbus, Ohio, is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, and he also runs part-time in the Supercars Championship with Tickford Racing. Cindric first gained national attention by winning the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship, and he cemented his arrival in Cup with a victory in the 2022 Daytona 500. He is recognized as one of the young stars of American stock car racing.
Early Life and Background
Austin Louis Cindric was born on September 2, 1998, in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in a family with deep motorsports roots. His father, Tim Cindric, is a long-time team executive who has served as president of Team Penske, and his maternal grandfather, Jim Trueman, was a former IndyCar team owner and the founder of the Red Roof Inn hotel chain. That family connection to racing helped shape his early interest in cars and competition.
Cindric moved to North Carolina as a young driver and began his career in semi-professional Legends car and Bandolero racing on short tracks across the state. He later attended the Skip Barber Racing School to build road-racing skills, which gave him a strong technical foundation. He completed his high school education at Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina, graduating on May 18, 2017, just hours before competing in a Truck Series race at nearby Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Path to NASCAR
Before reaching NASCAR, Cindric sampled a wide range of motorsport disciplines. In 2013 and 2014, he raced in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, first with Andretti Autosport and then with Pabst Racing Services, scoring a podium finish on the oval at Lucas Oil Raceway. He also competed in Historic Sportscar Racing, winning a Porsche 944 race, and he took a bronze medal in the Lites class at the 2014 X Games in Austin through the Global RallyCross Championship.
Cindric moved into prototypes and sports cars in 2014, debuting in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with Racers Edge Motorsports at Road Atlanta. In 2015, at just seventeen years old, he became the youngest driver to compete in the Bathurst 12 Hour, driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG for Erebus Motorsport. That same year, he scored his first IMSA win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, becoming the youngest winner in Continental Tire series history.
Austin Cindric Career
Early Career (2015–2017)
Cindric made his ARCA Racing Series debut in July 2015 at Iowa Speedway, finishing fourth for Cunningham Motorsports. Later that year, he entered the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville, substituting for an injured Austin Theriault in the No. 29 Ford F-150 for Brad Keselowski Racing. His first ARCA win came in 2016 at Kentucky Speedway, and he added two K&N Pro Series East victories that year at Virginia International Raceway and Watkins Glen International.
Running a full Truck Series schedule in 2017, Cindric quickly became a playoff contender. He won the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in dramatic fashion, making contact with Kaz Grala on the last lap to grab a much-needed playoff spot. The move drew strong criticism from peers, but it helped Cindric finish a career-best third in the 2017 Truck Series standings.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2018–2021)
Cindric joined Team Penske’s Xfinity program full-time in 2018, splitting seat time between the No. 12, the flagship No. 22, and the No. 60 of Roush Fenway Racing. He scored his first career Xfinity pole at Iowa and was a consistent presence near the front of the field. In 2019, Cindric broke through with back-to-back road course wins at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio, finishing sixth in the championship standings.
The 2020 season turned Cindric into a title threat. After sweeping both Xfinity races at Kentucky Speedway in a single weekend, matching a feat last accomplished by Richard Petty in 1971, he built a dominant summer run that included wins at Texas, Road America, and the Daytona road course. He locked up the regular-season championship at Richmond, won at Phoenix, and claimed the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. In 2021, he continued to lead the Xfinity standings, capturing wins at Daytona, Phoenix, Dover, Pocono, and the Indianapolis Road Course before finishing runner-up in the title fight at Phoenix.
NASCAR Cup Series and Team Penske (2019–Present)
Cindric’s first Cup Series start came at the 2021 Daytona 500, where he finished fifteenth after a late-race crash. After Team Penske announced a realignment of its driver lineup, Cindric was named the driver of the iconic No. 2 Ford beginning in 2022, replacing Brad Keselowski. In only his eighth career Cup start, Cindric won the 2022 Daytona 500, becoming the second-youngest driver ever to capture the race and the ninth to win his first Cup race at Daytona. He added the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award despite being eliminated in the Round of 12 playoffs.
After a difficult 2023 campaign in which he missed the playoffs and finished 24th in points, Cindric rebounded in 2024. He ended an 85-race winless streak with a dramatic victory at World Wide Technology Raceway, capitalizing on mechanical issues for Christopher Bell and a late fuel shortage for Ryan Blaney. He also competed in the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona for Multimatic Motorsports in a Ford Mustang GT3. Cindric opened 2025 with a top-ten run at the Daytona 500, faced a 50-point penalty and fine for a hooking incident at Circuit of the Americas, and returned to victory lane at Talladega with a thrilling 0.022-second win over Ryan Preece. He is also slated to contest the 2025 Adelaide finale of the Supercars Championship with Tickford Racing.
Driving Style and Strengths
Cindric is widely respected for his road-racing pedigree, with smooth car control and a confident feel for technical circuits like Watkins Glen, Road America, and the Indianapolis Road Course. He pairs that road-course skill with growing confidence on intermediates and superspeedways, where his drafting ability helped deliver his breakthrough Cup win at Daytona and his dramatic 2025 Talladega victory. In the Cup garage, he has built a strong technical partnership with veteran crew chief Jeremy Bullins, a relationship that has helped him develop consistency on ovals.
Notable Races and Milestones
Beyond his 2022 Daytona 500 triumph, Cindric counts his 2020 sweep at Kentucky, the 2024 Gateway win, and the 2025 Talladega photo finish among the defining moments of his career. His first Truck Series victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2017 and his breakthrough Xfinity weekend at Watkins Glen in 2019 also stand out as races that shaped his rise through the sport.
Austin Cindric Career Wins
Austin Cindric has built a versatile win list across multiple NASCAR national series, including championships, crown jewel events, and signature road course races. His trophy case reflects a steady climb from the Truck Series to a Daytona 500 title, and it includes a championship at the Xfinity level.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Cindric has three verified Cup Series wins, with his first and most famous coming at the 2022 Daytona 500. He added a victory at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2024 and a thrilling win at Talladega Superspeedway in 2025, where he beat Ryan Preece by 0.022 seconds. Across his Cup career, he has recorded 31 top-ten finishes and one pole.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Cindric captured 13 career wins, highlighted by the 2020 series championship and a regular-season title. His first Xfinity win came at Watkins Glen in 2019, and his most recent was the 2021 Pennzoil 150 at the Indianapolis Grand Prix road course. He also picked up one Truck Series win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2017, two ARCA Menards Series East victories in 2016, and an ARCA Menards Series win at Kentucky Speedway in 2016.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 3 | 31 | 1 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 13 | 89 | 8 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 1 | 16 | 1 |
Austin Cindric Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Austin Cindric is the son of Tim Cindric, a respected motorsport executive who has served as president of Team Penske, and Megan Cindric. His maternal grandfather, Jim Trueman, was the founder of Red Roof Inn and a former IndyCar team owner, giving Austin a direct family link to top-level American racing.
Personal Life
Cindric was raised around the Penske and IndyCar paddocks and built much of his early racing resume in the Carolinas. He graduated from Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina, balancing his senior year of high school with a developing national racing career. He keeps his personal and family life largely private while continuing to focus on his role with Team Penske.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has been a year of streaks for Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse team. He opened with an eighth-place finish at the 2025 Daytona 500, giving the team early momentum, before the season took a difficult turn at Circuit of the Americas. There, Cindric was docked 50 driver points and fined $50,000 for right-rear hooking Ty Dillon in a tight battle on track.
Cindric quickly answered with a statement run at Talladega Superspeedway, beating Ryan Preece by just 0.022 seconds to score his first win of the year and his third career Cup victory. The result vaulted him back into the playoff conversation and provided a major boost to a Team Penske program that has leaned on the consistency of crew chief Jeremy Bullins. Heading into the summer stretch, the No. 2 team is focused on stacking top-ten finishes to lock into the postseason on points.
Looking ahead, Cindric’s 2025 schedule will also take him overseas. On September 3, 2025, it was announced that he would join Tickford Racing as a wildcard entry for the Adelaide finale of the Supercars Championship, driving a Ford Mustang S650. The international appearance underscores Cindric’s versatility and his role as one of Ford’s prominent factory drivers across multiple racing platforms.
