As the Penske chaos rumbles on, Tim Cindric is the talk of the town. Roger Penske’s move to fire Tim might not have been expected, but it has unleashed a whole whirlpool of questions. The Cindric father-son duo has been at the heart of Team Penske for a while now. And with Tim out the door, it did not take long before everyone started buzzing about what’s next for Austin. Speculation about Austin’s future is running wild at the moment. Does this mark the end of the Cindric era at Penske? Or does Austin‘s performance have what it takes to shut down these rumors? One NASCAR insider jumped in to defend him fiercely, making it clear to whoever is listening.

When the news of Tim’s departure broke, it did not take long for phones across the motorsport world to start buzzing. “We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners, and our organization for letting them down,” Roger Penske said.

Meanwhile, Tim Cindric dealt with things differently. He wrote on X, “It’s been an amazing ride! While my conscience remains clear through all of the noise and accusations, I’m grateful to have so many great people to draw strength from in times like this. Still standing tall!” Still, there was no clarity about his Austin.

Well, veteran insider Jordan Bianchi did not hold back while talking about Austin Cindric. Speaking on a podcast appearance alongside Karsyn Elledge, Jordan was quick to shut down the rumor mill,

He said, “Spot off. Listen, my phone blew up yesterday when the news came out. Penske made some decisions and Tim Cindric is gone. Is Austin Cindric, you know, what does that mean for him? I will say this Austin Cindric has term left on his deal with Penske and if you look at numbers and if you look at the results. Austin is delivering. This isn’t like a you know, oh, he’s my kid, I’m gonna put him in a ride. He deserves it. He’s got his stat line very similar to Joey Logano’s this year. He’s led more laps than Ryan Blaney this car. He’s in the playoffs like Austin has had a very very good year, he is good for that organisation. He’s a good team player. I don’t see Austin going anywhere.” 

Bianchi’s not wrong. After kicking things off strong at the Clash, Cindric won the Daytona Duels, eventually finishing in eighth place at the Daytona 500. Now, you might be thinking, didn’t he have barely any top-five finishes this season? You’d be correct, but remember, Cindric already has a place in the playoffs secured after his Talladega win. Add to that several top-10 finishes at Vegas, and you start to see his season taking shape. More importantly, he isn’t too far off Joey Logano. While Cindric is 13th in the standings, Logano is 9th.

Let’s not forget, Cindric isn’t worried about his position. He reflected on his position, saying, “I don’t think it was even in question,” referring to receiving assurances about his position. “Their support has always been very strong and also very transparent. When I have not performed to my best we have had those conversations. But past that it’s business as usual for me.”

When Austin Cindric first joined Team Penske full-time in 2022, expectations were extremely optimistic. The young driver had just clinched the Xfinity series title and was stepping into one of the most prestigious organizations in NASCAR. By the time he stunned everyone with a Daytona 500 win in his rookie season, he had already begun to carve out his own identity separate from his father. He was off building a name and a legacy for himself, and that’s how he carried himself. “Professionally, I’m in no different of a place than I was a week ago. I feel like we have a lot of momentum on our team right now in the No. 2 car. I’ve never felt better and had a better start to the season. So for me I’m just focused on execution. I feel like we have had some really fast cars.” 

Austin Cindric reveals how he dealt with his father’s Penske exit

It is quite certain that many wondered how Austin would handle the shake-up of his father’s departure from the team. But in many recent comments, Austin made it clear that while this change was significant, it hasn’t thrown him off course.

Reflecting on his father’s career and how he feels about his departure, Austin also understands the way of life of sports. He candidly mentions, “Obviously, what happened in Indy, I’m just much of a fan and spectator, but obviously, when family is involved, right? You got to understand it from both sides. From every step of the way, since I started racing for the team in 2018, I feel like myself, my pops, and Roger (Penske), and most involved, I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job separating personal life and professional life, and I see this as no different.”

The Penske chaos will die out eventually and soon be history, but Austin’s message is clear: his future in NASCAR depends on his own merit, and he’s ready to write that story on his own terms. It is definitely safe to assume and say that Austin is not going anywhere and is determined to drive his best and chase the wins that he is made for. To cap it off, he sent a message to his father.

He said, “Racing can be a cruel industry. It can be an incredibly rewarding industry. Past that, it’s not something that I have weighing on me heavily for this weekend. And for my pops, I love my dad and it’s kind of all I have to say on it.”