'He was hustling it': NASCAR star Cindric reacts to Waters hot lap
NASCAR star Austin Cindric rides shotgun with Cam Waters
Cindric arrived in Australia on Friday, in Supercar on afternoon
2022 Daytona 500 champion to race Mustang Supercar in Adelaide
A Sandown hot lap with Cam Waters has helped NASCAR Cup Series star Austin Cindric shake off jet lag and get a taste of what's to come in Adelaide.
2022 Daytona 500 winner Cindric got in the passenger seat during a ride session following Friday's practice action at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
It was an teaser of what Cindric can expect when he hits the track in just 13 days' time at the bp Adelaide Grand Final, with the American to race a Tickford Racing Ford Mustang.
"It was good fun," Cindric told Supercars.com after the laps.
"It's not the first ride along I've done, but definitely the first time in a Supercar.
"Obviously for me on the correct side of the race car. It'll be the only time I'll be in that car on the left side, so in some ways it didn't feel that abnormal.
"Cam's a pro, so it was fun to kind of get to watch a little bit, see what he does, see how he goes about it, but also look at the track, because I'm sitting on the sidelines and really observing. So, good to get some context."
Waters, who is fighting for a championship and was in the top 10 in both practice sessions on Friday, made sure Cindric was fully awake after the Team Penske driver's long trip to Australia.
"He got pretty loose a few times, but he was hustling it for sure. Just trying to get a read on the car," said Cindric, who races nearly 40 times a year in the Cup Series.
"As a driver, any time you can get seat time's important. It's cool that you guys do this. I can't think of another championship that has ride along days that are probably what, half hour after practice just ended.
"Usually things like this are at the start of a weekend or at the end of it. So I think for anyone that gets that experience that I just got, it's gotta be really cool."
While he is an observer at Sandown, Cindric is set to take as much in as he can before he makes his long-awaited Supercars debut at the fearsome Adelaide Street Circuit.
Friday's laps continued his whirlwind arrival to Australia, having just completed a short stint at Tickford's Campbellfield headquarters before heading to Sandown.
"I mean, I went to sleep and I was still in the United States, and now I'm here at Sandown, doing laps," Cindric laughed.
"So yeah, it's awesome. It's really cool to be here."
Saturday's Penrite Oil Sandown 500 action begins at 11:50am AEDT with Boost Mobile Qualifying, followed by the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at 12:40pm. Race 30 will start at 3:20pm. International fans can watch the action on SuperView.
