Slowly moving up the ladder of stock car racing is the 22-year-old Austin Cindric. The 2020 Xfinity Series champion has already created a buzz around himself early in his racing career.

Recently, the announcement came forth that he would drive in the upcoming Daytona 500 race in February in the Team Penske’s No.33 car. Needless to say, he expressed his delight at getting the chance to do so.

Cindric stated, “What a cool opportunity for me obviously to try and make my first start in the Daytona 500. This year it sounds like that’s going to be a bigger challenge than probably in the years prior.

“So looking forward to tackling that head-on and getting started here in a few weeks.”

Some added pressure for the Daytona 500, said the 2020 Xfinity Series champion

“Of all the crown jewel races that are there in NASCAR. Really, out of all the races in the world, the Daytona 500 is one of the biggest.

“So definitely there’s some added pressure for that, our first hurdle is to get into the race. I am pretty focused on that, as you can tell.”

Cindric will still invest his primary focus on defending the Xfinity Series title this year. But he has also made his intentions clear to try out a variety of races at different venues to gain further racing experience.

He continued, “As far as races that we’re gonna do, we don’t have a set schedule as yet. My desire is to drive as many different racetracks as possible.

“I want to add to the notebook as much as I can this year and really figure out what my strengths and weaknesses are heading into a full-season ride in 2022.”

Austin Cindric will shift to the Cup Series full-time in 2022 with Wood Brothers Racing

The Team Penske No.22 in the Xfinity Series will attempt a partial Cup schedule in 2021. Following that, the idea is for him to transit and take over full-time duties at the associate team, Wood Brothers Racing.

With his plan for the next couple of years in place, Cindric can focus on developing himself as a top-notch driver. His participation in the Daytona 500 could then be a case of making the first step towards a potentially bright Cup Series career.