What’s Happening?

The news of Tim Cindric’s departure from Team Penske shook the INDYCAR world. In the aftermath, NASCAR fans asked if this could affect his son Austin’s role in Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup Series effort. While it is a realistic question, the team is unlikely to do so. But why?

Why Would Penske Be Inclined to Do This?

First, let’s examine the reason Time Cindric is leaving Team Penske to understand this situation.

This past week, prior to the 109th Indianapolis 500, Penske found themselves surrounded by yet another cheating scandal, this time, with two drivers headed to the back of the field for the 500. Afterward, on Wednesday, Penske announced the departure of three executives, including Cindric, who had been with the organization since 1999, with team owner Roger Penske saying:

“Nothing is more important than the integrity of our sport and our race teams. We have had organizational failures during the last two years, and we had to make necessary changes. I apologize to our fans, our partners and our organization for letting them down.” — Roger Penske

For some time now, NASCAR fans have often cited his son, Austin, as a weak link at Team Penske. This isn’t without cause, as though he dominated during his time in the Xfinity Series and is a former Daytona 500 champion, he has struggled for the most part in the Cup series.

Since his disappointing 2023 season, fans have questioned whether Cindric could be on his way out of the team. However, Cindric, who received an extension around that same time, will likely be in the car for some years to come, with or without his dad at Penske.

The First Hurdle: Cindric’s Improvement

The biggest issue that the team would face in replacing Cindric is that his performance is not as bad as it once was, especially compared to his Penske teammates.

While Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano are performing about as well as they did last season, Cindric has stepped up big time with his performance and speed. He has had his inconsistencies, however, including a 50-point penalty after spinning Ty Dillon during the race at the Circuit of the Americas. 

So far this year, Cindric has an 18.3 average, the second-best of his young career, and a career-best average starting position of 11.5. This average starting position is the third-best among full-time Cup Series drivers, a category where Cindric also sits fifth best in laps led, with 226.

Looking at the Penske Fords alone, Cindric has the second-most top-ten finishes, the second-most laps led, and the best average starting position. Yet, he has the worst average finish of the three blue oval drivers.

His 15th-place point position is also the worst on the team, but if Cindric had not had the 50-point penalty after COTA, he would be a career-best 11th, with 329 points, two spots behind his teammate and reigning Cup Series champion, Joey Logano.

The Second Hurdle: A Suitable Replacement

The second major issue facing Team Penske is that no Cup Series-ready prospect or free agent is on the market to replace Cindric. 

When the news about his father’s departure broke last week, a big-name free agent like William Byron was still on the 2026 potential free agents list. However, Byron and Hendrick Motorsports announced an extension Friday morning.

On the developmental side, there are plenty of prospects in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, specifically the new guys in the Ford camp, Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed of the Haas Factory Team. However, both drivers still have a lot to prove and have no ties to Penske.

In fact, no prospects have ties to Penske as the team eliminated its storied Xfinity Series program after Cindric’s last season in the series in 2021.

As much as fans would like to set a fantasy lineup for Cindric-less Team Penske next season. His slight improvement this season, combined with the lack of prospects and his 2023 contract extension, likely means that Austin Cindric is going to stay in his seat for some time.

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