Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric

26-Year-Old Driver  
Penske Racing
Penske Racing
2024 Fantasy Outlook
This is a make-or-break season for Cindric in 2024. The young driver is coming off his second campaign in Roger Penske's No. 2 Ford and it did not measure up to Penske standards by any stretch of the imagination. Cindric failed to make the Chase playoffs and only collected five Top-10 finishes throughout the 2023 season. It all added up to a disappointing 24th-place finish in the final driver standings for Cindric and the No. 2 team. These developments are quite concerning considering that his teammate at Penske, Ryan Blaney, won three races and took last season's Cup Series championship. The pressure will be on to rebound in the upcoming season. This is a contract year for Cindric and he'll have all the motivation he needs to perform. Brian Wilson returns at crew chief and the two will look to resurrect the No. 2 Ford team to its former glory and prestige. Improvement is a given, although we're not convinced it will be by any means dramatic. Read Past Outlooks
Top-5 Martinsville Finish
NASCAR Cup
November 3, 2024
Cindric finished fourth in the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
ANALYSIS
Cindric turned in one of the best short track performances of his career Sunday in the Xfinity 500. The Penske Racing driver came from 24th on the starting grid to patiently work his way forward. By stage 3 Cindric would be racing among the leaders in the closing laps. A late caution would help him to hold onto that track position gained and fend off Denny Hamlin for a career-best short track finish of fourth-place at Martinsville. It was just his fourth Top 5 of the season.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Austin Cindric See More
NASCAR Xfinity DFS: Championship Race Preview
13 days ago
Cole Custer is looking to win the Xfinity Series title for the second straight year, and Dan Marcus has him atop his DFS values for Saturday's race at Phoenix.
NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race Preview: Crowning the Champion
15 days ago
William Byron is seeking his first Cup title on Sunday. See where the driver of the No. 24 falls among Mark Taylor's favorites to win the season-finale at Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR Barometer:  Ryan Blaney Masters Martinsville
17 days ago
For the second year in a row, Ryan Blaney won at Martinsville to punch his ticket to the Championship 4. C.J. Radune breaks down all the action on Sunday and looks ahead to the season finale at Phoenix.
Straight Talk Wireless 400 Preview: Championship Clock Ticking
29 days ago
Tyler Reddick has his back against the wall after a crash in Vegas, but Mark Taylor thinks the No. 45 is equipped to win Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway and lock himself into the Championship 4.
South Point 400 Preview: Round of 8 in the Chase
35 days ago
Mark Taylor previews the first race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas and gives you his top fantasy plays including William Byron who has finished on the podium the last three races.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
You couldn't start a season better than Cindric did in 2022. The Penske Racing rookie grabbed an upset victory in last season's Daytona 500 to kick off his rookie campaign. After that, it was a mix of highs and lows that would ultimately lead Cindric to nine Top-10 finishes and a 12th-place rank in the final driver standings. It was a bit of overachievement considering that the young driver only cracked the Top 10 once in the 10 races of the Chase playoffs. The No. 2 Ford team looks to be returning completely intact with Jeremy Bullins still calling the shots as crew chief. Cindric's inconsistent end to last season is a bit concerning moving forward. His 16.3 average finish is something that has to improve in 2023 or he won't be able to climb these rankings much higher. Right now, Cindric is unquestionably the third-best driver in this three-driver Penske Racing camp.
The 2020 Xfinity Series champion will take over the iconic No. 2 Ford of Penske Racing in the upcoming season and go to work on potential Rookie of the Year campaign. It's going to be a big step for the talented youngster. Filling the shoes of Brad Keselowski is no easy task. There will be a lot of expectations and associated pressure with this promotion. For a 23-year-old rookie to take over a flagship ride is never easy. Fortunately, Cindric got in seven Cup Series starts last year and that will help with his transition. He showed some flashes of ability in those starts, and the experience will help in 2022. Cindric will be paired with crew chief Jeremy Bullins and the two will look to quickly figure out the new Next-Gen car and get to work on some good finishes. It will be an up-and-down typical rookie season for sure, but Cindric should have the inside track on winning the ROTY award in the upcoming season.
The 2020 Xfinity Series champion will return to defend his title in 2021. The Penske Racing star built on a very good 2019 campaign and drove to six wins and 26 Top-10 finishes last season to claim the Xfinity Series crown. Cindric will once again drive the strong No. 22 Ford and the team will return all major parts, including crew chief Brian Wilson. The 22-year-old driver proved himself to be a strong driver, and very gifted at the road circuits. Cindric collected two of his six victories on those challenging courses. With NASCAR doing even more racing on these style tracks in the upcoming season, it only adds to the value that this driver and team bring to the table. Cindric should challenge to equal or exceed the six wins he posted last season, and will once again be a top contender to win the championship.
Cindric was the most improved driver of last season's second half. After a slow start in the Penske Racing No. 22 Ford, the young driver came on strong and posted three pole positions and two victories in the final half of 2019. While Cindric didn't race for the championship at Homestead, he still finished a respectable fifth-place in the driver points. The 14 Top-5 and 24 Top-10 finish campaign was a good salvage job to a slow start to last season. Cindric will now take what he's learned in 67-career starts in this division of NASCAR and apply it in the upcoming season. He'll once again be paired with Brian Wilson and resume the good work they started last season. We should see an increase in wins and Top 5 totals. The youngster will give Justin Allgaier a good run for the money in the championship chase.
Cindric gets a major upgrade in status for 2019. He takes over the full-time driving duties for the strong No. 22 Ford of Penske Racing. This is the car that has been piloted by multi-driver Cup stars over the last several seasons. Last season alone this team accounted for six victories, 19 Top-5 and 25 Top-10 finishes between its five-driver lineup. Cindric nabbed six Top-5 and nine Top-10 finishes of that overall performance. He'll have to step up his game in the upcoming season, and we believe he will. Cindric is taking over one of the most elite teams in the Xfinity Series garage. After finishing eighth in the final driver standings last year, racing for multiple teams, the consistency of showing up each week in the No. 22 Ford Mustang will do wonders.
With the closure of Brad Keselowski's truck series operation, Briscoe and Cindric became two very good young drivers in search of a ride. Roush Fenway Racing stepped in and revived their No. 60 team in an opportunistic situation. This team was named Ford's development driver team, and the two truck series aces will head up the effort. Majeski is a 23-year-old product of kart racing and late model stocks. He made three starts for this team in 2017, and collected a Top-10 finish in the season finale at Homestead. The driver distribution for this team has yet to be announced, but we can only imagine it will be a heavy dose of Cindric and Briscoe, followed by a lesser dose of Majeski. This team should be pretty competitive given the talent behind the wheel.
Cindric replaces Daniel Hemric in the No. 19 Ford F-150 this season. The 18-year-old from Columbus, Ohio has just six-combined truck series starts over the last two years. Cindric's NASCAR experience is limited and spread all over the lower divisions of the sport. So this will be a baptism by fire as he takes on his first full schedule in a national touring series. Veteran crew chief Doug Randolph will help ease this transition and bend this sharp learning curve just a bit. Hemric posted 11 Top-5 and 17 Top-10 finishes in this truck last season en route to a strong sixth-place finish in the driver standings. We don't believe Cindric will have this ability right out of the gate, but he could grow to that level of performance in time.
More Fantasy News
Top-5 Roval Finish
NASCAR Cup
October 13, 2024
Cindric finished fourth in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
ANALYSIS
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Wins Enjoy Illinois 300
NASCAR Cup
June 2, 2024
Cindric won the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway Sunday afternoon.
ANALYSIS
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Top-5 Atlanta Finish
NASCAR Cup
February 25, 2024
Cindric finished fourth in the Ambetter Health 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday evening.
ANALYSIS
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Runner-up Finish in Daytona Duel
NASCAR Cup
February 15, 2024
Cindric finished second in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 for the Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway Thursday night.
ANALYSIS
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Runner-up in Duel 2
NASCAR Cup
February 16, 2023
Cindric finished second in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway Thursday night.
ANALYSIS
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