Tim Cindric wasn’t going to simply write checks to get Austin the best equipment. He wanted his son to earn it.
“I think my dad has some really good perspective on racing,” Austin Cindric noted. “He runs one of the best organizations in American motorsports, if not globally. He knows what goes on. He deals with racing dads in his day job. When I was coming up, that was something he did not desire to be. Racing wasn’t his idea. He wanted to make sure that was something I was passionate about and wasn’t something I wanted to do just because he was involved in it. He didn’t want it to be his passion along with mine. He wanted it to be my passion to pursue it.
“I was always in with good people,” he continued. “That was very important for learning. You can win races with Bandoleros and Legend Cars, but you aren’t going to get a ride at the top level because you dominated in Bandoleros or Legends. Those are your learning days. Those are when you are learning and not looked at to succeed.
“I’m very lucky he had that perspective. I feel like the people I was surrounded with early, really helped give me the right mindset, attitude, the right work ethic to pursue motorsports at the highest level.”
Tim Cindric eventually reached out to road racer Johnny O’Connell at the Bondurant Driving School and asked him to assess his son’s skills.
“It was never my dream for him to become a race driver; it was to give him a flash of reality,” Tim Cindric admitted. “I told Johnny, ‘I want you to tell him where he really stands and what his chances are to become a professional race driver.’”
O’Connell gave the younger Cindric a glowing recommendation.
Austin Cindric landed a ride with Andretti Autosport in USF2000.
Each step of the way, Austin Cindric was impressive. In 2015, at the age of 17, he became the youngest driver to compete in the Bathurst 12-Hour Race.
“I couldn’t believe how challenging that track was, and I needed Austin to drive at Bathurst in order for me to understand his talent,” Tim Cindric said. “He did really well and is still the youngest to ever drive in that race.
“From that point, I didn’t worry about him anymore.”
It was Austin Cindric’s talent that got him on his NASCAR path, first with Brad Keselowski Racing in the Truck Series and then with Team Penske in the Xfinity Series.
“I’ve pushed him to learn all of this on his own and he has done this all on his own,” Tim Cindric said. “For the teams he’s driven with, he’s made a really good impression.”
Roger Penske chose Austin Cindric to drive the No. 22 Xfinity Series Ford, not Tim Cindric, who has tried to keep his distance from his son’s career.
“I keep that at arm’s length,” Tim Cindric said. “You can either be all-in to make it work, or step back. My approach is to let our guys handle it and do what is best for our team.”
At 21, Austin Cindric is already one of the most versatile drivers in racing, having driven stock cars, formula cars and various types of sports cars.
Along the way, father and the son have had several “light-bulb” moments.
“It hit home at Daytona during the 24 hours that I was actually racing against my son in the same class, and he finished higher than we did,” Tim Cindric said. “That is where it hit home the most, when it was in the middle of my job and you see him there.
“I have no idea where it will take him but in this business, never say never. In the NASCAR world, you only get one shot at it and he is fully focused on it,” the proud father added. “He’s 21 years old. Never say never. I would love to see him run the Indy 500. He understands what that place is all about.”
It all began when Austin Cindric was nine years old.
“At that point in my life, that is all I really knew,” Austin Cindric said. “It’s still all I really know. It wasn’t a revelation; it is something that felt natural to me. It was something I wanted to bring up and I thought I would try it and see what they said.
“The worst thing they could have said was no, and then I would go on with life as normal. It’s crazy how fast life comes at you.”