By Bob Pockrass
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Anyone who doubted Austin Cindric, anyone who said he was just a product of nepotism, can’t deny that he has hoisted the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship trophy.
Cindric, the son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric, capped a career season with his sixth victory Saturday night in the series finale, using fresh tires to outduel championship contender Justin Allgaier on a night where Cindric and his car were the class of the field on long runs at Phoenix Raceway.
“I guess it’s not on the forefront on my mind as far as my own perception or the perception of others,” said Cindric, the regular-season champion as well. “Obviously we’ve gone out here and done everything there is to do in the Xfinity Series – we’ve gotten six wins, we’ve gotten both championship trophies.
“For me and my team, that’s all we need.”
The 22-year-old has battled a perception of nepotism throughout his career, a perception that continued when Roger Penske announced last month he would take over the Wood Brothers No. 21 Cup car in 2022, while spending next season running a full Xfinity season and select Cup races for Penske.
Penske stressed that Tim Cindric is not included in the discussions about Austin’s future.
“I saw a young guy committed, I saw him come up the ladder in smaller cars, even open-wheel cars, and win,” Penske said. “You love people in your family. The people who work [at Penske] is a big family, and he’s one that has earned it for himself.
“If he didn’t get the job done, Tim would be the first one to say, ‘Let’s move on.’ I don’t think he leaned on me at all to make this decision.”
When Penske told Cindric the plans for the next few years, he did have a message:
“I told him, ‘You need to leave the end of this season the champion,’ and that’s exactly what he’s done,” Penske said. “That’s exactly what he’s done. This was not because of Tim Cindric, this was because of Austin Cindric.”
Entering this year, Cindric had won only two Xfinity races, both in road-course events. He had been viewed prior to this year as a solid road-course racer but questionable on ovals. He won at three oval tracks (including a doubleheader sweep at Kentucky) and two road courses this season.
“[His parents] have a long history in racing, so I don't think that that's ever been anything that's bothered him,” crew chief Brian Wilson said. “It's a great asset.
“But I think it's just the impression. I know when he first started in this garage, he really wanted to prove himself, to prove that he belonged in this garage, and it's been a long process of getting to this point.”
Cindric couldn’t help but wonder if any of the aggressiveness of other drivers were to prove to his father they could outrun him.
“Initially, right off the bat, guys raced him like they would have a rookie, but any time that they race him a little bit rough, I feel like he might have thought, ‘Well, is that kind of because of my background or is it because I'm a rookie?’” Wilson said.
“But I think we've obviously gotten over that hurdle to where I don't feel like that's been anything that's been in his mind this year.”
Cindric’s parents know how tough the sport is and encouraged him to look at other professions. But he shared their passion for racing, and his 2020 breakout year proved he could have consistent success.
And maybe earned himself some respect.
“When I started, I made a lot of mistakes on a national level,” Cindric said. “I got told by a lot of people about all the things I do wrong. This year has been overwhelmingly supportive [from the fan base].”
The championship race might even be considered his breakout race, as he at first had to be perfect when Allgaier was on fresher tires and tailing him later in the race, and then when he had to rub some fenders enough to take the lead – but not wreck himself or anyone else — on the overtime restart when the roles were reversed.
It showed Penske once again what he could do, and that Penske had made the right decision back in April when he decided not to shut down the Xfinity program – a program that is considered a loss leader but valuable in training team members – even though knowing it could have helped the organization’s bottom line amid the pandemic.
“He was flawless,” Penske said. “Restart after restart, green‑white‑checkered at the end, he's a pro. He's a champion today, and I think that one more year in this series is going to prepare him to get into Cup, and I think you need that stairstep to get there.”
