Austin Cindric is marking his fifth year in NASCAR Cup Racing, with four of those years spent at Team Penske. Throughout his tenure, he’s managed to secure two wins, ten top-5s, and 22 top-10s. While Cindric has put forth a commendable effort, he hasn’t quite matched the early success of peers like Christopher Bell or William Byron.
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In a recent discussion with The Athletic, Cindric shared his thoughts on evaluating success beyond just victories. He remarked, “If we all measure success by winning, we’d all be out of a job. A lot of your success is based on the perception of those around you and close to you, of maximizing your situation.”
Drawing a comparison between the NFL and NASCAR, Cindric noted the difference in team dynamics and individual contributions. He explained, that while the NFL revolves around a collective team effort — succeeding or failing as a unit — in NASCAR, each driver has their own equipment, and their success is gauged accordingly.
“It’s not very often we hear about an NFL team saying, “Oh, this quarterback is playing really well (considering he plays for) the (New York) Jets.” It’s either the Jets are doing well or they’re not doing well. But in racing you hear, “This driver is doing well for the equipment they’re in. He’s outperforming his equipment.” We don’t hear that about quarterbacks outperforming their teams.”
However, that doesn’t mean Cindric hasn’t shown his abilities on the track. He won the Daytona 500 in 2022, and more recently at the Gateway race this regular season. The #2 driver also recorded some notable finishes this year, securing 4th place at Atlanta Superspeedway and another 4th at the Roval.
Cindric shares an insight he believes fans should learn about drivers
The third Team Penske driver reflected on what he feels is a common oversight among NASCAR fans: the stark contrast in the amount of free time drivers have compared to those in other professions. While most people can clock out and enjoy downtime with family and friends, those in the racing industry often don’t have that luxury.
He explained, “The lack of time people in racing have outside the racetrack is what separates the perspective. Most people have a regular job and a regular family and a regular schedule, but for anyone who works in racing — especially in NASCAR with as much travel — it’s very difficult to give perspective of that.”
In terms of his career trajectory, Cindric finished P12 in the final driver standings in 2022 but experienced a dip to P24 in 2023. After being eliminated from the Round of 12 this season, Cindric currently finds himself at P11 in the standings.
