Cindric Aims To Kiss Bricks as Stock Continues To Rise in NASCAR
September 07, 2018 | By Phillip B. Wilson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
He grew up around the inner sanctum of Team Penske, so there isn’t a more important racetrack than Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Austin Cindric.
But Cindric, the 20-year-old son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric, isn’t getting caught up too much in the thrill of being back at IMS as a NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie driving in the seventh annual Lilly Diabetes 250 at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Sure, it’s special, but he realizes there are always expectations when driving for Team Penske.
“I want to kiss the bricks,” said Cindric, driver of the No. 12 Wabash National Ford. “It’s still a race, and this is still a pivotal point in our season. We’re two races away from the playoff cutoff. We’re still in a decent spot in the playoff leader board, but you still want to be better, you still want to get momentum rolling into the playoffs.
“This is an important race for it. What better place to get your first win than IMS? It’s a tall order to ask, but I feel confident in my abilities and in the car that I’m sitting in this weekend, that we’ll have a shot at it.”
Cindric is 11th in the series points. The playoff cutoff is 12.
Father and son sound the same when emphasizing this weekend is about results. Tim is in California at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend with the team’s IMSA program.
“I’m not too sentimental that way,” said Tim, 50, an Indianapolis native who grew up going to IMS. “I think it’s more the fact that he’s getting the opportunity. He appreciates the fact that it’s one thing to run there, but it’s another thing to be successful there.
“At the end of the day, what will mean the most to me is if he gets to the point where he’s having success there. It’s one thing to be able to have that opportunity to be there, but you want to be able to put your name on one of those trophies one day.”
Penske’s Hall of Fame name is synonymous with INDYCAR success, predominantly because of a record 17 victories in the Indianapolis 500. Although Austin Cindric was born and grew up in Columbus, Ohio, he’s been coming to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since he was 2.
“As a kid, the time he spent in Indy, he’s got a similar appreciation for the place,” Tim Cindric said. “When he was able to go and run there in USF2000 (in 2014), it was a big deal for him and our family. Now that he’s actually going to get a chance to run on the big track, it will be a whole new experience for him. He appreciates the history there, and the place has always been a tradition for our family in many ways.”
The track connection extends to Austin’s mother’s side of the family. His grandfather was Jim Trueman, who owned Truesports and won the Indianapolis 500 with Bobby Rahal just 11 days before Trueman’s death in 1986.
“This track is where my passion for racing kind of started, and it’s really become a family affair for us,” Austin said.
Race engineer Stephanie Borchelt is well aware the young driver is a student of history. She’s seen how Cindric has tried to learn from the past and apply it to his racing career.
That said, to work for Team Penske means understanding the importance of IMS.
“It’s Indy,” Borchelt said. “It’s special to everyone who’s in racing, especially to the Penske organization, which has such a long and storied history here. Any time you come here, there’s always that little bit of extra pressure because you want to get (Roger Penske) that first Cup win. He has an Xfinity win here, but he’s never won in the Cup series. So any time that you can get him any kind of success at this racetrack, it’s always a major bonus.”
As much as racing is in the family blood, Austin appreciates how his father doesn’t get too involved with his career.
“He’s been really awesome about not being a racing dad,” Austin said. “He’s supportive of what I do, but at the same time he keeps his distance and he lets me deal with what I need to deal with as a driver and lets the people that manage the team and whatever I’m doing be a part of it. Obviously he’s got a lot of experience and is pretty good at his job, but he watches from afar and is helpful when I ask for it.
“When it comes to overlooking the programs and when it comes to my racing within Penske, if there’s ever a meeting or anything that’s pertaining to me, he steps out of the room. He’s pretty clear about that. If I’m going to be racing for ‘The Captain,’ it’s because I’ve earned it, it’s because I deserve it, it’s because they want me in the car. It’s not because I’m somebody’s kid. I think those who know, know. Nobody is going to drive for Roger Penske who isn’t capable of winning a race.”
Although he’s worked with so many great drivers over the years, Tim sidesteps a question about evaluating his son’s ability. It’s too early for that assessment, he says. As for keeping his distance, Tim always willing to help with matters outside the car while letting others worry about what’s going on inside the car – whether it’s the open-wheel cars of his early career, sports cars or a stock car.
“He’s always had the approach of, ‘If I can drive everything, maybe I’ll get a chance to drive something,’” Tim said. “That’s always been his approach. Whatever path it takes, wherever the opportunities are is where he’s gone. It’s never really been about the type of car for him. It’s been, ‘Where are the opportunities?’ And the opportunity right now is in stock car racing.”
At the end of 2016, Austin reached a fork in his career path. He had a chance to drive full time in a sports car, a goal he had worked hard to achieve for two years in IMSA competition, or take a chance on a career in NASCAR, starting out part-time in the Camping World Truck Series. He chose the trucks and Brad Keselowski Racing, for which he eventually raced full time in 2017 and won one race while finishing third in the points.
“It’s hard enough to make it as a race car driver,” Austin said. “You put so much effort into your career; beggars can’t be choosy. The more rides I can get in, the more different opportunities and disciplines I can get in, that was my thought process early on in my career, to expose myself to as many different people and many different situations as possible, and I think that’s really helped me jump into NASCAR as quickly as I have.
“This is only my second full year in a stock car of any kind. I’m still learning at a very quick pace. I’m drinking from a fire hydrant, trying to figure it all out.”
He doesn’t rule out driving one day in the Indy 500; he’s just not on that path at the moment. For now, an appreciative Austin still gets a kick out of being around his father in May at IMS, especially when they end up in Victory Lane like this year.
“This year was pretty exciting, being there and watching how excited Will Power was,” Austin said. “It’s cool to see my dad get excited about that because that’s what he grew up dreaming of. To see him live out his childhood dream and do it very well has been really cool for me to watch at a young age.
“It gave me something to be passionate about at the same time. I’ve grown passionate about this sport being at this place. I’ve come to this track more than any other track to watch a race, and for a good reason, it’s the best race in the world, the Indy 500.”