Who is Austin Cindric? Everything you need to know about star wildcard

The bp Adelaide Grand Final will have an international addition to the field after all, following this morning's announcement that 2022 Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric will drive a third Tickford Mustang.

Cindric enters Adelaide as a Supercars rookie, however has plenty of experience around the world both in and out of the NASCAR world, and has crossed paths with Supercars several times through his career.

Ahead of the long-awaited arrival of a NASCAR Cup Series star to take on Australia and New Zealand's best, Supercars.com tells you everything you need to know about Austin Cindric.

Who is Austin Cindric?

27-year-old Cindric is a NASCAR Cup Series regular in his fourth full-time season with Team Penske.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Cindric is a three-time race winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, and is currently ninth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, having locked himself in with victory at the Talladega 500 in April.

Cindric is also a champion in the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series, and had a road racing background in open-wheelers and sportscars before transitioning to stock car racing.

What are his credentials?

The highlight of Cindric's career was becoming the first rookie to ever win the Daytona 500 in 2022, also becoming the first driver of Penske's flagship #2 entry to win NASCAR's showpiece event.

Cindric's 2020 Xfinity Series victory was also historic, as he went on a tear in the middle of the season in winning five out of six consecutive races, just the second driver to do so, and the first in almost 40 years.

However, he is not just a one trick pony, having carved out a reputation in his junior career as an extremely versatile driver, beginning his career in the Road to Indy open-wheeler pathway.

Cindric was also an accomplished rallycross driver in his early career, claiming a RallyCross Lites X Games bronze medal in 2014, and finishing second in the Global RallyCross Lites Championship in 2015.

Still only a teenager, Cindric also dabbled in sportscar racing, and made two Bathurst 12 Hour starts in 2015 and 2016 in a Mercedes with Erebus Motorsport.

He continues to dabble in sportscar racing to this day, notably at the Daytona 24 Hour, where finished third in GTD Pro (GT3) at this year's event in a factory-entered Ford Mustang.

Does he have a Supercars connection?

Cindric has had a taste of Supercars machinery twice in the past on Australian shores, and has long harboured ambitions to compete in Supercars competition.

The American first drove Supercars machinery aged just 15, when he drove an ex-Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon FG in 2014.

The Project Blueprint-spec car was run by Matt Stone Racing for Todd Hazelwood in that year's Dunlop Super2 Series, finishing eighth in the standings.

Two years later, Cindric would find himself behind the wheel of a main game Supercar, enjoying a full day's testing with DJR Team Penske in a Falcon FG X.

Cindric was reportedly only two tenths away from a benchmark time set by full-timer Fabian Coulthard, who coached him through the day alongside teammate Scott Pye.

The test was organised by father Tim Cindric, who was the long-time president of Team Penske from 2006 until May this year.

Cindric was also in line to make a cameo appearance in the 2017 Super2 finale in Newcastle, however was a last-minute scratching due to a scheduling conflict.

How could he make an impact in the Grand Final?

The American will be the only driver with experience in a finals situation in what will be a 25-car field at the bp Adelaide Grand Final.

Expectations from an outright results standpoint will likely be tempered for Cindric's Supercars debut, especially at a circuit as tough and unforgiving as Adelaide.

However, in the event that Tickford have either or both of Cam Waters or Thomas Randle as part of the Final Four that will be contending for the Repco Supercars Championship, Cindric could find himself with a role to play.

Drivers have been questioning what kind of tactics and gamesmanship teams will use in order to assist the championship bids of their drivers, and Tickford adding a third element to their attack could be a big call.

Whilst he won't be on the pace of the leaders, Cindric potentially being lapped traffic could be where his part is played in the outcome of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship.

Keeping it clean on the streets of Adelaide is a difficult task at the best of times, as highlighted by the carnage throughout the weekend last year at Turn 8.

If the American was to find trouble during any of the three races, Safety Car periods could potentially throw a massive strategic curveball into the fight, especially in the two 250km races on Saturday and Sunday.

Austin Cindric biography

Bio

Road racing pedigree

NASCAR career