“That Nervous 16-year-old Would be Happy”: Austin Cindric Overwhelmed After Latest Call Up to Iconic Race

Neha Dwivedi | 07/01/2025
NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric (2) during qualifying for the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway.

Following a career-best finish of P12 in the NASCAR Cup Series in his 3rd full-time season with Team Penske, Austin Cindric has been tapped as the relief Ford driver for the 63rd annual Rolex 24 At Daytona. Stepping in for the injured Ben Barker, Cindric, who won the famed Daytona 500 in his first full-time season with Team Penske, has been called upon to pilot the #64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3.

With Barker sidelined by a collarbone injury sustained during a skiing accident over the holidays, Cindric will join forces with Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx in the #64 Ford.

Confirmed to participate in the practice sessions from January 17-19 and the main event on January 25-26, Cindric now stands as the second NASCAR Cup driver confirmed for the race, alongside Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen.

Reflecting on his upcoming role at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Cindric shared, “The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career.”

He elaborated on his journey, noting, “In 2025, it’ll be 10 years exactly since the first time I came down to Daytona to race for Multimatic and Ford in Michelin Pilot Challenge. That nervous 16-year-old would be happy to learn where things would be 10 years on. Needless to say, there are a lot of familiar faces. I’m grateful to get the nod, and I’m looking forward to getting to work soon.”

While expressing well wishes for Ben Barker’s swift recovery as he temporarily takes over his driving duties, Cindric emphasized his commitment to achieving a strong outcome for himself and his team as they kick off their season in IMSA.

Cindric’s experience in Sports Car Racing

The #2 Team Penske driver has eight starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, of which five are at the Rolex 24, achieving a class-high fifth-place finish in 2019 with Vasser Sullivan Racing and again in 2022 with Proton Competition.

In addition to his NASCAR commitments, Cindric also has experience with GT3 machinery. His latest go came in the 2022 Rolex 24, where he drove a WeatherTech-sponsored Mercedes for Proton Competition in the GTD Pro class.

The 26-year-old also previously competed full-time in the Pirelli World Challenge in 2016, driving a McLaren 650S GT3 for K-PAX Racing. Moreover, out of his eight WeatherTech starts, six have been in GT3 equipment.

After wrapping up the NASCAR Cup season with one win, seven top-10s, and four top-5 finishes, it will be intriguing to watch how Cindric handles the Daytona track three weeks before the official points race of the NASCAR season kicks off on the same circuit.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
austin cindric NASCAR Cup Series Rolex 24 at Daytona

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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