Austin Cindric Bio
Austin Louis Cindric (born September 2, 1998) 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 also runs part-time in the Supercars Championship with Tickford Racing. Cindric has built a versatile résumé across sports cars, open-wheel ladder series, rallycross, and stock cars, making him one of the most well-rounded young drivers in American motorsports.
He is best known for winning the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship and the 2022 Daytona 500, both as a member of Team Penske. His early success in the Truck Series and on road courses helped establish him as a rising talent within the Ford performance development pipeline.
Early Life and Background
Austin Louis Cindric was born on September 2, 1998, in Columbus, Ohio. He is the son of Tim Cindric, a long-time Team Penske president, and Megan Cindric. His grandfather, Jim Trueman, was a former IndyCar team owner and the founder of the Red Roof Inn hotel chain, giving Austin a deep family connection to motorsports and business.
Growing up with racing around him, Cindric began his driving career in semi-professional Legends car and Bandolero events in North Carolina. He later attended the Skip Barber Racing School to sharpen his road-racing skills, which gave him a strong technical foundation before he moved into national junior formulas.
Cindric attended Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina, graduating on May 18, 2017. On the same day, he competed in a Truck Series race at nearby Charlotte Motor Speedway, balancing the end of high school with the start of his national NASCAR career.
Path to NASCAR
Before reaching NASCAR, Cindric raced across several disciplines. In 2013 and 2014, he competed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, first with Andretti Autosport and then with Pabst Racing Services, earning a podium finish on the oval at Lucas Oil Raceway. He also raced in Historic Sportscar Racing, winning a Porsche 944 event, and was named to the Porsche North American Junior Academy.
In 2014, Cindric entered the Global RallyCross Championship Lites and won a bronze medal at the X Games Austin 2014, signaling his comfort with high-speed, aggressive competition. He also began sampling stock cars through the ARCA Racing Series and K&N Pro Series East, recording wins at Virginia International Raceway, Watkins Glen International, and Kentucky Speedway.
His first NASCAR national-series start came in 2015 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway, where he substituted for an injured driver with Brad Keselowski Racing. The experience paved the way for a full-time Truck Series ride in 2017, when he finished third in the championship and earned a playoff berth.
Austin Cindric Career
Early Career (2013-2017)
Cindric’s earliest national results came in the U.S. F2000 National Championship and the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. In 2015, at just 17 years old, he became the youngest winner in Continental Tire Series history by taking the checkered flag at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That same year, he competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour as the youngest driver ever to enter the event.
During the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Cindric drove the No. 29 Ford F-150 for Brad Keselowski Racing. He captured his first Truck Series win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park after a late-race pass for a playoff spot. He finished third in the final Truck Series standings, a strong result that led to his promotion to the Xfinity Series.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2018-2021)
Cindric moved to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2018, splitting time between Team Penske and Roush Fenway Racing Fords. In 2019, Team Penske confirmed him as the full-time driver of the No. 22 Ford Mustang. That August, he scored his first two Xfinity wins with back-to-back road course victories at Watkins Glen International and Mid-Ohio, finishing the year sixth in points.
His breakout arrived in 2020. Cindric swept the Kentucky Speedway Xfinity races in July, becoming the first driver to win national-series events at the same track on consecutive days since Richard Petty in 1971. He added wins at Texas Motor Speedway, Road America, and the Daytona road course, then clinched the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship with a victory at Phoenix Raceway. He led the series with 19 top-fives and 26 top-tens.
In 2021, Cindric returned to the No. 22 Ford Mustang and added wins at Daytona, Phoenix, Dover, Pocono, and the Indianapolis Road Course. He entered the championship finale at Phoenix with a shot at a second straight title but lost the lead to Daniel Hemric on the final lap, finishing as championship runner-up.
NASCAR Cup Series Breakthrough (2021-Present)
Cindric’s first NASCAR Cup Series start came at the 2021 Daytona 500, where he finished 15th. He ran a part-time Cup schedule in 2021 with Team Penske’s No. 33 entry and recorded his first Cup top-ten with a ninth-place run at Indianapolis. In July 2021, Team Penske announced he would drive the flagship No. 2 Ford Mustang full-time in 2022, replacing Brad Keselowski.
On February 20, 2022, Cindric won the 2022 Daytona 500 in only his eighth Cup Series start, becoming the ninth driver to win his first Cup race in the Daytona 500 and the second-youngest to capture the event. The win was Team Penske’s third in the Daytona 500 and the first for the No. 2 car. He went on to win the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year award and finished 12th in the final standings.
He struggled in 2023, finishing 24th in points with only one top-five and five top-tens, and missed the playoffs. In 2024, Cindric broke an 85-race winless streak with a dramatic victory at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) and was eliminated in the Round of 12 at the Charlotte Roval. The 2025 season opened with a Talladega Superspeedway win, edging Ryan Preece by 0.022 seconds at the line.
Team Penske Era (2022-Present)
Since taking over the No. 2 Ford in 2022, Cindric has remained with Team Penske. His tenure began with the Daytona 500 triumph, one of the most prestigious victories in motorsports, and was followed by consistent efforts to build playoff-caliber speed on intermediates, short tracks, and road courses.
The 2024 Gateway win and the 2025 Talladega victory have given the No. 2 team renewed momentum heading into the back half of 2025. Cindric has continued to log top-ten runs, and the partnership with crew chief Jeremy Bullins remains a foundation for the team’s long-term plans.
Driving Style and Strengths
Cindric is widely regarded as a road course specialist with a smooth, calculated driving style, an attribute he developed through his early open-wheel and sports car racing. He is comfortable managing tire wear, executing long runs, and using strategy from the cockpit, all of which suit the technical layouts he has excelled on throughout his Xfinity and Cup career.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include the 2020 Kentucky Speedway Xfinity sweep, the 2020 Xfinity Series title at Phoenix, the 2022 Daytona 500 victory, the 2024 Gateway win, and the narrow 2025 Talladega triumph. Each of these results has shaped his reputation as a versatile, race-winning driver.
Austin Cindric Career Wins
Austin Cindric has collected race wins across the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the ARCA Racing Series, the K&N Pro Series East, and the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, with a single NASCAR Cup Series victory to date at the 2022 Daytona 500.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Cindric’s Xfinity Series résumé includes the 2020 championship, his first wins at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio in 2019, and a deep 2021 campaign that produced victories at Daytona, Phoenix, Dover, Pocono, and the Indianapolis Road Course. The 2020 Kentucky Speedway sweep and the championship-clinching win at Phoenix stand out as defining moments of his stock car rise.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
In the Cup Series, Cindric’s headline result remains the 2022 Daytona 500. He added the Gateway win in 2024 and the Talladega victory in 2025, the latter by a 0.022-second margin over Ryan Preece. He was named the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the national NASCAR series, Cindric won in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2017 and earned ARCA, K&N Pro Series East, and IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge victories. He also raced in the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour and the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona, showcasing his long-standing interest in endurance and international competition.
Austin Cindric Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Cindric is the son of Tim Cindric, a former Team Penske president, and the grandson of Jim Trueman, a former IndyCar team owner and the founder of the Red Roof Inn hotel chain. This deep racing heritage helped open doors throughout his junior career and connected him to the Penske organization from an early age.
Personal Life
Cindric graduated from Cannon School in Concord, North Carolina, in May 2017. He has been active on social media, where he engages with fans about his races and his interests outside the cockpit. He continues to make his home in the NASCAR heartland of the Carolinas.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season began with an eighth-place finish in the Daytona 500 for Austin Cindric. He was later docked 50 driver points and fined for a right-rear hooking incident with Ty Dillon following the Circuit of the Americas race, a setback that added urgency to his playoff push.
Cindric broke through with his first win of the season at Talladega Superspeedway, beating Ryan Preece by 0.022 seconds in a dramatic last-lap duel. The result locked him into the Cup Series playoffs and gave the No. 2 team valuable momentum heading into the summer stretch.
Looking ahead, Cindric and Team Penske will lean on the Talladega victory as a foundation for playoff seeding, while continuing to chase consistent top-ten finishes on intermediates and short tracks. With the Supercars Championship wildcard at Adelaide confirmed for late 2025, Cindric’s schedule is set to be one of the most international of any active full-time Cup driver.
