DAYTONA, Fla. — Austin Cindric, the grandson of the former owner of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, made his first full-time NASCAR start count.
The 23-year-old, who grew up running around the permanent road course near Lexington during summers and then won the NASCAR Xfinity race here in 2019, stunned the racing world Sunday by winning the Daytona 500 in overtime on the 201st lap.
Cindric, a 30-1 shot driving the No. 2 Team Penske Discount Auto Ford, held off Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace to win the 64th running of the Great American Race that launches the NASCAR season.
In the overtime restart after a yellow flag, Cindric went high to block Blaney nearing the finish. The two made contact, opening the door low for Wallace. But Cindric held off the hard-charging Wallace by a nose to take the checkered flag.
Cindric, a Columbus native, is the son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric and the grandson of former Mid-Ohio owner Jim Trueman, who died in 1986 from colon cancer at the age of 51.
“You know what makes it all better … a packed house … a packed house at the Daytona 500!” Cindric said during a trackside post-race interview.
He thanked everyone who helped him win, starting with Penske, a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, who celebrated his 85th birthday Sunday.
“I am surrounded by great people. That’s all there is to it. There’s gonna be highs and lows, being a rookie in a field of drivers this strong. I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” Cindric said.
Cindric won the Xfinity title in 2020 and finished second in 2021, earning a full-time slot for Penske in NASCAR’s main series in 2022.
Before the Xfinity race at Mid-Ohio, Cindric told Richland Source he knows much is expected of him every time he takes a green flag, based upon his family’s racing heritage and the fact he races for Penske.
“Obviously, it’s a big responsibility. The ball is definitely in your court. We always have the resources we need to succeed. It’s up to me and my team to achieve that success. It demands a lot out of you,” Cindric said at the time.
“I grew up around Mr. Penske almost my entire life. That relationship has given me invaluable experiences at a young age,” Cindric said in 2021.
Cindric was thrilled after winning at Mid-Ohio in 2019.
“It’s cool because there’s probably a kid out there watching the corners wanting to be a race car driver some day and that was me 10, 12 years ago watching the corners, running around, playing in the grass, doing whatever you want, getting a hot dog,” Cindric said after the 2019 win.
“It would be incredible if my grandpa were alive today and was able to see that win,” he said.
Cindric is now the ninth driver in history to earn his first career Cup win in the Daytona 500, and the second in a row to do so.
Cindric now joins a group that includes Tiny Lund (1965), Mario Andretti (1967), Pete Hamilton (1970), Derrike Cope (1990), Sterling Marlin (1994), Michael Waltrip (2001), Trevor Bayne (2011), and Michael McDowell (2021).
