Team Penske’s Star Eyes Endurance Glory as Rolex 24 Podium Eludes Him Amidst NASCAR Duties

When Team Penske won the 2025 Rolex 2025, it was a massive moment for everyone in the team. For Roger Penske, starting the new year just as he ended it, as a champion, was perfect, and for his young driver taking a shot at endurance racing, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Austin Cindric saw firsthand just how incredible victory could be. “The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career. This will be my sixth opportunity to run this race, and with the Ford Mustang GT3, it’s one of the best opportunities I’ll have had at taking one of those watches home,” he said at the time. Now, he has a shot at making his return to the track count.

At EchoPark, Austin Cindric took a spin around the slick Atlanta Oval, all while chatting about endurance prep. When asked about stamina, he chuckled while running a lap, saying, “Gosh, this run feels longer than a Rolex 24. We’re not even halfway done.” Austin knows the challenge firsthand. He’s competed in the Rolex 24 six times, driving in both GTD and LMP2 classes, and each time has only deepened his hunger for a win. In 2025, he came the closest yet, finishing on the podium in GTD Pro while driving the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 with Mike Rockefeller and Sebastian Priaulx.

“I’ve always loved doing that race. It’s one of the ones that I’ve really high on my list. These races that I want to win. This past year doing with Ford and GT3 cars, the closest I’ve come finishing on the podium. It’s not as easy as just, you know, showing up at a local track with a car takes a ton of preparation and planning, and obviously it’s one of the biggest events in the world.”

His love for endurance racing dates back to 2023 as well, when he took on the LMP2 class with Rick Ware Racing, adding to a stretch of solid runs that saw him finish fifth or sixth between 2019 and 2022 in both GT3 and LMP2 rides. He’s been around the clock more than a few times, and he knows just how brutal those 24 hours can be.

And his outing early this year? That was special, too. As he revealed months ago, “In 2025, it’ll be 10 years exactly since the first time I came down to Daytona to race for Multimatic and Ford in Michelin Pilot Challenge. That nervous 16-year-old would be happy to learn where things would be 10 years on. Needless to say, there are a lot of familiar faces. I’m grateful to get the nod, and I’m looking forward to getting to work soon.” 

But Austin’s love for racing isn’t limited to endurance circuits; it’s basically all he’s ever known. Asked about his Instagram bio, no life skills outside of a racetrack, he doubled down. Cindric went on to say, “It is so true. I’ve always been a race tracks or family vacations, where race tracks like that’s all I really know. It’s all I’ve ever really been really tested on. I did have jury duty at the end of the 2022 season and that was the first time I’ve liked had to be like in a real world situation with like real-world paper. We live in a bubble here. I left there pretty satisfied with the life skills that I’ve developed. It’s really cool experience. I definitely feel like my time is best used to the race track.” 

Austin Cindric’s clock is ticking as Penske’s standards soar

Austin Cindric may be playoff-bound again in 2025, but with teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney combining for three titles in three years, that’s just the bare minimum. The conversation surrounding Austin’s future intensified after his father, Tim Cindric, was fired from Team Penske amid the infamous 2025 Indy 500 qualifying scandal.

With the drama unfolding in the background, questions started swirling about whether Austin’s seat in the No. 2 car might be in jeopardy. Team owner Roger Penske wasted no time clearing the air. Speaking to FOX Sports, Penske stood firm. He said, “He’s been a great young guy… I said, ‘Austin, you’ve got a job to do here, you’ve got a contract with us, and you’ve got a contract for next year.’ So, as far as I’m concerned, we don’t need to be talking about Austin Cindric’s [status]. We need to be talking about Austin Cindric in the winner’s circle.”

While Penske’s vote of confidence locks Cindric in through the next season, it doesn’t cement anything beyond that. The message is clear: if the No. 2 car doesn’t start visiting Victory Lane more often, the long-term outlook might get murky. And who knows? Maybe this in-season saga could crown Austin a winner.