2022 Daytona 500 winner and Team Penske driver Austin Cindric is no stranger to the world of Supercars. He’s paid close attention to the Australian-based racing series for years, and even considered it as a legitimate career-path for himself before becoming a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver.
Several Supercars aces have ventured over to NASCAR in recent years, including Shane van Gisbergen, who made the full-time switch and is currently competing in the Cup playoffs alongside drivers like Cindric.
Cindric’s experience racing in Australia is limited, but it’s still greater than most of the current NASCAR field. He has tested a Gen2 Supercar, and competed in the Bathurst 12 Hours back in 2015.
“It’s been about 10 years since I’ve been down to Australia to go race,” said Cindric in a Saturday press conference ahead of the Cup race in St. Louis. “And there’s a certain point in time in my career that it was a legitimate consideration to go race full time there. Whether it be Super 2 or something else or, obviously, they’ve done a great job with that series and producing great drivers. So as a younger driver, it was something I really looked at pretty heavily. I’ve always kind of kept a pulse on it. I did some racing down there in the past, with the Bathurst 12 hour and I have a lot of great relationships there.
“It’s really cool to see it all come full circle. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to do it without the help and connection from Ford, with all the guys at Tickford and kind of just piecing things together to see if it is all possible and then kind of go through the paperwork of how do I get approved and this and that? But all in all, it’s going to be a super fun adventure.”
Cindric went on to call it a “great opportunity,” and expressed a desire to do more than one event. The race he will be competing in is a tricky one, taking place on the intimidating Adelaide street circuit.
“I want to do well and represent myself as well as possible, but it’s a tricky course and an incredibly competitive series,” continued Cindric. “So looking to see what I learned about myself and how well I stack up against a pretty stout grid.”
When Cindric starts the Adelaide Grand Final, he will become the first American to take part in a Supercars race since the 2019 season when former Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi contested the Bathurst 1000.
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