Austin Cindric Surpasses Jimmie Johnson’s 20-Year Old NASCAR Feat Amidst His Daytona 500 Heroics

History has a way of repeating itself, and NASCAR is no different. All the way back in 2002, Jimmie Johnson became the first rookie driver in NASCAR history to lead the Cup Series points standings. Admittedly, it was for a very brief period and he eventually finished in a respectable 5th place. Following the Daytona 500, Austin Cindric also joined him in that aspect, when he won the race.

Now, it appears that after the Fontana race at the Auto Club Speedway, Cindric has surpassed Johnson. This is because he is now the first rookie driver to lead the NASCAR Cup Series standings after more than one race. In Johnson’s time, he picked up wins at Auto Club, and two at the Dover International Speedway.

Around this time, he would have probably taken the championship lead for one race before losing it for good. Since then, Johnson has gone from strength to strength, winning a record-equalling seven Cup Series titles in his career. Along the way, he also recorded 83 wins, all of which came for Hendrick Motorsports.

What else is there to know about Austin Cindric?

In Cindric’s scenario, he followed up his Daytona win with a 12th place finish at the Auto Club Speedway. Evidently, it was enough to see him still retain the championship lead for a second race in a row. The big question now is, how long will he be able to retain the championship lead, and can he do the unthinkable and win?

To be honest, the 23-year-old has been thrown into the deep end. This is because he secured a slot on the Team Penske organization in place of a departing Brad Keselowski. As a former champion himself, Keselowski left fairly big shoes to fill, but Austin Cindric seems to be doing a decent job. Without a doubt, Cindric is hugely talented, and he is learning pretty quickly from his teammates, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney.

READ MORE: Daytona 500 Winner Austin Cindric Opens Up About Nerves as a NASCAR Driver to ‘Coach K’ Mike Krzyzewski