Kyle Larson has long expanded his racing horizons internationally. In December 2024, he competed in the High Limit International sprint car event at Perth Motorplex in Western Australia. Driving for Jason Pryde Motorsports, Larson charged from sixth to win the $100,000 feature, marking the richest sprint race in Australian history. His success Down Under has drawn comparisons to other international racing endeavors, but this time, one of Roger Penske’s stars will be following the same path to international success.

In the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series, Austin Cindric has demonstrated resilience and growth. Despite a challenging start, including a significant penalty, he secured his first win of the season at Talladega’s Jack Link’s 500, marking his third career Cup victory. Throughout the season, Cindric has consistently finished in the top 20, with notable performances such as an 11th-place finish at Kansas and a 7th-place finish at Bowman Gray. And now, it is time for him to step outdoors and showcase his diverse skill set.

Austin Cindric gears up for overseas racing test

As the NASCAR Cup Series season nears its conclusion, Austin Cindric is preparing for an exciting off-season challenge. Speaking with Freddie Kraft, Karsyn Elledge, and Jordan Bianchi on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Cindric shared, “Yeah, it should be a really cool adventure. I’m pretty much spending a month down there after the season’s over, which is kind of sad because I miss a lot of football. But, no, it’s a super cool opportunity. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time.”

Following the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, Cindric plans to spend his off-season racing in Australia’s BP Adelaide Grand Final, the climactic event of the Supercars Championship, held on the historic Adelaide Street Circuit. Known for its challenging layout and passionate fans, the Adelaide circuit offers Cindric a chance to expand his racing repertoire.

Reflecting on his previous Australian racing experiences, Cindric explained, “For those that don’t know, I’ve raced in Australia before—twice in the Bathurst 12 Hour, which is different from the Bathurst 1000… and did some testing there almost 10 years ago. I’ve stayed in touch with a lot of those contacts.” At just 17 years old in 2015, he became the youngest driver ever to compete in the Bathurst 12 Hour, driving the No. 63 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for Erebus Motorsport alongside Australian drivers Simon Hodge and Nathan Morcom. The team finished 21st overall and 7th in their class in a challenging race.

Cindric is quick to credit his connections with Ford and Tickford Racing for giving him the opportunity to compete in Adelaide. “It’s a great team, great car, great teammates, at one of their coolest events of the year in Adelaide.”

The Adelaide Parklands Circuit, which hosted the Australian Grand Prix from 1985 to 1995 before being revived as a Supercars event in 1999, is renowned for its rich motorsports heritage. “Adelaide’s the old F1 circuit, so there’s a ton of history there,” Cindric said. “Australian race fans are super passionate about V8 supercar racing and what goes on down there. So, like I said, it should be a fun adventure.”

Aside from the competitive challenge, Cindric faces the technical adjustment of driving a Gen3 Supercar with a sequential gearbox and the need to adapt to shifting with his “wrong” hand and braking style, representing a unique learning experience beyond NASCAR’s familiar environment.

But before going for this venture, he has already received a bit of help from a fellow Supercars star. “I woke up about a month ago to a text from SVG, completely unsolicited, ‘Hey, if you want to be any good down there, you’ve got to right foot brake.” It was pretty funny, I’m like, ‘okay, well I guess there’s no secrets. Second of all, thanks for the advice,” he joked.

Shane van Gisbergen, who initiated his racing career by winning the Supercars series at just 18 years old, is the perfect person to get advice from. He debuted at Oran Park in 2007 with Team Kiwi Racing and drove for notable teams such as Stone Brothers Racing and Tekno Autosports, consistently showcasing his prowess on the track. His achievements include securing three Supercars Championship titles in 2016, 2021, and 2022, and amassing a total of 80 wins across 508 races, positioning him among the most successful drivers in the series’ history.

When asked how difficult it is to transition, Cindric replied candidly. “The last time I’ve been in a race and right foot brake was probably when I was 16 years old. So I have the skill set, it’s just not something I’ve needed to use or wanted to apply, but I feel like with this Gen 3 car, from everyone that I’ve talked to so far, it’s kind of a must. With as clunky as, the transaxle seems to be on downshift. So yeah, it’s a decision I’m going to have to come to, but if there’s that many guys that are left of breakers, I had to transition as well. So it’s something I can confidently say that I’ll probably be able to figure out. That probably won’t be what’s limiting me from going out and running well and having a good time.”

As the race day approaches, Cindric’s preparation and enthusiasm suggest he is ready to make a significant impact in the Supercars Championship finale. But the dream doesn’t end there.

Austin Cindric’s ‘Double’ dream takes shape as NASCAR playoffs heat up

Austin Cindric is currently sitting 12th in the playoffs with just an 11-point cushion above the cut line after scraping 18 points at Gateway. Yet, he isn’t just thinking about surviving; he is contemplating one of motorsport’s most grueling feats: the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double. “Not in a rush to go do it, but my family has a pretty long history with that race, and I see my racing career as incomplete without ever doing the 500,” he said.

He acknowledged the logistical and physical challenges. “But yeah, doing the double, obviously logistically, pretty challenging,” he noted. “And it’s been cool to see kind of the path that Kyle has kind of trailblazed the last couple of years, and how difficult it would be to do it. And two, what all goes into it, but also the excitement behind it.” Between helicopter transfers, private jets, and the risk of weather delays, the endeavor pushes both the driver and team to the limit.

Turning to the competitive angle, Cindric believes his NASCAR background gives him an edge. “I think it would be much,” he began, before clarifying, “I feel like it would be much more difficult to be an IndyCar driver and come just because of the lack of testing and lack of preparation that you would need to expect to go out and run well or at least even know what’s going on or represent yourself well, whereas in NASCAR, we could practice and so on to be able to kind of get, get lined up.” With Penske‘s dual-series resources and his own calculated approach, Cindric is setting the stage for a bold, cross-disciplinary adventure.