Career Timeline of Austin Cindric: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Austin Cindric made an impact.

Austin Cindric is a professional American auto racing driver currently competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske. Cindric's career is centered around motorsports, specifically stock car racing at the highest level.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1971: Reference to Richard Petty's achievement

In July 2020, Austin Cindric became the first driver to win national series races at the same track on two consecutive days since Richard Petty in 1971.

2008: Ryan Newman's Daytona 500 Win

Reference to Team Penske's previous win in the 2008 Daytona 500 with Ryan Newman.

2013: U.S. F2000 National Championship

In 2013, Austin Cindric competed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, finishing 17th in points while driving for Andretti Autosport. His best finish was seventh in the season finale.

2014: U.S. F2000 National Championship and Historic Sportscar Racing

In 2014, Austin Cindric continued in the U.S. F2000 National Championship with Pabst Racing Services, finishing 14th in points and achieving a second-place podium finish. Also in 2014, he competed in Historic Sportscar Racing, winning a race in a Porsche 944.

2014: Global RallyCross Championship Lites and IMSA debut

In 2014, Austin Cindric debuted in the Global RallyCross Championship Lites, winning a bronze medal at the X Games Austin 2014. He also made his IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge debut at Road Atlanta with David Levine, finishing 17th, and was named to the Porsche North American Junior Academy.

July 2015: ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Debut

In July 2015, Austin Cindric made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Iowa Speedway, finishing fourth. He also made his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville, substituting for Austin Theriault.

2015: First NASCAR start

In 2015, Austin Cindric had his first NASCAR start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

2015: Bathurst 12 Hour and CTSCC Debut

In 2015, at age 17, Austin Cindric competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, finishing 21st overall and seventh in his class. Also in 2015, he began competing full-time in the CTSCC, winning a race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and becoming the youngest winner in the series.

2015: Joey Logano's Daytona 500 Win

Reference to Team Penske's previous win in the 2015 Daytona 500 with Joey Logano.

November 2016: Full-Time Truck Series Announcement

In November 2016, Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) announced that Austin Cindric would compete full-time in the Truck Series in 2017.

2016: Pirelli World Challenge

In 2016, Austin Cindric drove the No. 6 McLaren for K-PAX Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge.

August 2017: Xfinity Series Debut

In August 2017, Austin Cindric joined Team Penske, driving the No. 22 car for the Xfinity Series race at Road America.

2017: Controversial Win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

During the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Austin Cindric won the race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park after making contact with Kaz Grala on the last lap, resulting in widespread criticism.

2017: Finished third in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

In 2017, Austin Cindric finished third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.

2017: K&N Pro Series East events

In addition to his Pirelli World Challenge schedule in 2016, he joined Martin-McClure Racing for two K&N Pro Series East events and Brad Keselowski Racing in the No. 2 F-150 at Dover International Speedway. His two K&N East starts resulted in victories at Virginia International Raceway and Watkins Glen International. Later in the year, he recorded his first ARCA win at Kentucky Speedway.

November 8, 2018: Team Penske Full-Time Announcement

On November 8, 2018, Team Penske announced that Austin Cindric would compete full-time in their No. 22 Ford Mustang in 2019.

2018: Full Xfinity Schedule

In 2018, Austin Cindric ran the full Xfinity schedule, splitting time between Penske's No. 12 and No. 22 Ford Mustangs, and the No. 60 Ford of Roush Fenway Racing. He was involved in a violent crash in the Daytona race, in which he barrel-rolled twice in turn 2.

August 2019: First NXS Wins

In August 2019, Austin Cindric scored his first career NXS wins with back-to-back road course victories at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio.

2019: Practice Substitute Driver

During the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Austin Cindric replaced Brad Keselowski for final practice. He also served as a substitute for Michael McDowell at the Bank of America Roval 400 in September 2019.

2019: Full-time competition in Team Penske's No. 22 Ford Mustang

In 2019, Austin Cindric competed full-time in Team Penske's No. 22 Ford Mustang. MoneyLion was the primary sponsor for 18 races.

July 2020: First Oval Victories at Kentucky Speedway

In July 2020, Austin Cindric achieved his first oval victories at Kentucky Speedway, sweeping the weekend's Xfinity races. He won the Shady Rays 200 and Alsco 300.

October 2020: Part-Time Cup Series Announcement

In October 2020, Team Penske announced that Austin Cindric would begin racing in the Cup Series on a part-time basis in 2021 before moving up to the series full-time in 2022.

2020: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

In 2020, Austin Cindric won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.

July 15, 2021: Team Penske Announcement

On July 15, 2021, Team Penske announced that Austin Cindric would drive the team's No. 2 car in 2022, replacing Brad Keselowski.

2021: Championship Lost

In 2021, Austin Cindric lost the lead and the championship in turn 3 to Daniel Hemric on the last lap of Phoenix.

2021: Multiple wins in 2021

In 2021, Austin Cindric took his first win of the year at Daytona in February, followed by additional victories at Phoenix, Dover, Pocono, and the Indianapolis Road Course.

2021: First Cup Series Start

In 2021, Austin Cindric's first Cup Series start came in the Daytona 500, where he finished 15th after a last-lap crash. He led laps at Circuit of the Americas and Road America and scored his first Cup top ten at Indianapolis.

February 20, 2022: Daytona 500 Win

On February 20, 2022, Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500 in his first full-time Cup Series season driving for Team Penske, becoming the ninth driver to win his first Cup Series race in the Daytona 500.

2022: Drive the No. 2 car

In 2022, Austin Cindric was set to drive the team's No. 2 car.

2022: Full-Time Cup Series Move

In 2022, Austin Cindric was slated to move up to the Cup Series full-time.

2022: Daytona 500 Win

In 2022, Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500.

2023: Struggles and Missed Playoffs

Austin Cindric started the 2023 season with a 23rd place finish in the 2023 Daytona 500. The 2023 season proved challenging for Austin Cindric, and he missed the playoffs, finishing 24th in points.

2024: Daytona 500 and Gateway Win

In 2024, Austin Cindric started the season with a 22nd place finish at the Daytona 500. He then secured his second career win at Gateway after other contenders faced issues, breaking an 85-race winless streak. He was later eliminated from the Round of 12 at the Charlotte Roval race.

2024: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

In 2024, Austin Cindric was chosen to drive the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Rolex 24 at Daytona, replacing Ben Barker.

2025: Daytona 500, Penalty and Talladega Win

In 2025, Austin Cindric started the season with an eighth-place finish at the Daytona 500. Following the COTA race, he was penalized with a points deduction and fine for hooking Ty Dillon but later won at Talladega.