Austin Cindric, the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, hopes to qualify for the 2021 Daytona 500, scheduled for Feb. 14. If he makes the race, it will be his NASCAR Cup Series debut. He’ll attempt to qualify a #33 Team Penske Ford.
“There is a lot to be excited about heading into Daytona,” Cindric said. “It doesn’t really even need to be said that the Daytona 500 is the biggest crown jewel race in NASCAR and one of the biggest races in the world, so to have a shot to be in the show while driving for Roger Penske is a big opportunity. Qualifying our way into the race as an ‘open’ car will be a big challenge. I look forward to working with Miles (Stanley, crew chief) and all of the guys on the No. 33 team, while also continuing my focus on winning back-to-back Xfinity Series championships.”
Cindric is slated to run a partial Cup Series schedule in 2021 while he also attempts to defend his Xfinity Series title as a Team Penske driver. Miles Stanley, a race engineer at the Cup level for Team Penske, will be Cindric’s crew chief for his 2021 Cup Series races.
Cindric is expected to move to the Cup Series full-time in 2022, replacing Matt DiBenedetto in the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford through a deal with Team Penske.
The 2021 season will be Cindric’s fourth full-time season in the Xfinity Series. He won six races last season en route to the 2020 championship in that series. In all, he has eight wins, 40 top-fives and 63 top-10s in 100 Xfinity Series races, to date.
