When Penske announced that team president Tim Cindric was among those fired in light of the IndyCar cheating scandal, NASCAR rumors swirled regarding Austin Cindric’s future with Team Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series. While nothing is official, there is great insight suggesting Cindric’s future is known.
Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic shared on the most recent episode of the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast that he expects Cindric to be driving the No. 2 car for Team Penske next season.
“I will say this. Austin Cindric has term left on his deal with Penske. If you look at the numbers and you look at the results, Austin’s delivering. This isn’t like, ‘Oh, he’s my kid, I’m gonna put him in a ride.’ He deserves it…His stat line is very similar to Joey Logano’s this year. He’s led more laps than Ryan Blaney this year. He’s in the playoffs. Austin has had a very, very good year. He’s good for that organization, he’s a good team player…I don’t see Austin going anywhere.”
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi on Austin Cindric’s future with Team Penske
Related: NASCAR free agents after the season, including Austin Cindric
- Austin Cindric stats: 273 points, 1 win, 3 top 10s, 1 top 5, 1 DNG, 226 laps led, 17.25 average finishing position in 12 races this season
Tim is Austin’s father and his departure from Team Penske represented a major shakeup for the organization. With Austin only on a short-term deal as the driver for the No. 2 car in the Cup Series, some wondered if Penske would move away from the Cindric family completely in 2026.
However, the numbers back up Cindric staying with Team Penske long-term. Heading into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Austin has the fifth-most laps led (226) and he is tied for 12th with Joey Logano in average finishing position (17.3).
Related: NASCAR standings for Cup Series, see where Austin Cindric sits in points race
In addition, he won Duel 2 at Daytona and he earned a playoff spot in the NASCAR Cup Series last season after winning the World Wide Technology Raceway. Just 26 years old, Cindric has demonstrated consistent improvement and he’s part of the reason Team Penske will likely have three drivers in the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
While he might have initially benefited from his father serving as the president of Team Penske, Austin has rightfully earned his spot on the team in the last two years and his success should ensure he has a future with the organization.
