Editor’s note: This continues the series in which we review each 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs driver in reverse order of championship finish.
Season in review: Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Crew chief: Brian Wilson
Final 2024 ranking: 11th
Key stats: One win, four top fives, seven top 10s, 256 laps led
How 2024 ended: After qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the second time in three years, Cindric advanced through the first round but was eliminated in the Round of 12 (even though he finished fourth in the elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval). In total, Cindric had an average playoff performance with two fourth-place finishes and two other 10th-place finishes. On the flip side, he had four finishes of 27th or worse in the 10-race playoffs. He ended the season with a 13th-place finish at Phoenix.
RELATED: Austin Cindric through the years
Best race: Cindric’s best outing in the 36-race schedule came at the 1.25-mile oval at World Wide Technology Raceway, where he started from the outside pole, led a season-high 53 laps and took the checkered flag with a commanding finish, beating runner-up Denny Hamlin to the finish line by nearly four seconds.
Other season highlights: Cindric showed significant improvement in qualifying in 2024. While he didn’t earn a pole, he started in the top-five in seven races, and sixth through 10th in seven other races.
Stat to know: The 2024 Cup season was, in a sense, two different seasons for Cindric. He struggled in the first 18 races with 13 finishes of 20th or worse. But in the second half of the season, he only had six finishes of 20th or worse.
Quotable: “I’m not much of like a numbers goal setter, but (making the) playoffs was a must in my opinion. So the only two goals I’ve set for myself, personally or professionally this year, was make the playoffs and break 100 in golf. So if that tells you how hard golf is, I’m still working on the other one.”
MORE: Cindric impressing through playoffs after strong start
Looking ahead: Cindric, whose father Tim is president of Team Penske, has to overcome his up-and-down inconsistency. He had a great rookie season in 2022, winning the Daytona 500 and finishing 12th overall, only to have a challenging 2023 season, with just one top-five showing and finishing a disappointing 24th. It was encouraging to see him perform as well as he did in 2024, but he has to keep the momentum going. Brian Wilson, who replaced Jeremy Bullins with 10 races left in 2023, returns as crew chief for 2025 and there will likely be increased attention on Cindric and Wilson after teammate Joey Logano won his third championship in 2024 to give Penske three titles in a row.