Austin Cindric 2025 season in review
Kenneth Richmond | Getty Images
Editor’s note: This is the 17th in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.
Driver: Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Crew chief: Brian Wilson
Final 2025 ranking: 14th
Key stats: 1 win, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s, 325 laps led
How 2025 ended: Cindric tallied a victory for a second consecutive season and reached the Cup Series Playoffs for the third time in four seasons. However, the No. 2 Team Penske driver was ousted again in the Round of 12 after failing to finish inside the top 15 during that three-race stretch. Cindric failed to score a top-10 result in the last 11 races and finished 30th or worse in four of the last six races of the season.
Best race: You could pick any of the superspeedway races Cindric competed in this season, as he's one of the best in that style of racing, but his run at Richmond was his most impressive. Cindric finished fifth with an average running position of eighth (according to NASCAR Loop Data), on top of having the fourth-highest driver rating at the Virginia short track (106.5).
RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Austin Cindric driver page
Other season highlights: Cindric picked up his third career Cup Series victory in the spring race at Talladega -- a race he only led seven laps in. The 2025 campaign also marked a career high for laps led in a season for the fourth-year veteran (325). Cindric started on the front row for the Daytona 500, opening the door for him to lead a race-high 59 laps in the season-opening thriller. He also led 40 or more laps at Atlanta (spring), Las Vegas (spring), Texas and Indianapolis.
Stat to know: Cindric had the ninth-best average starting position in 2025 (13.3), but had a series-worst drop off in average finish, which was more than seven positions lower than where he started (20.9).
Quotable: “I was gonna wait till I saw a color other than smoky gray. I don’t think the stress was there. I think everyone was pretty well-prepared with the transfer of information once I got back out on track and with a scuffed right-front tire, old-as-hell left-side tires and an old right-rear tire. I got a handle on the car and got all the fire-extinguisher stuff burned off the tires and dripping everywhere, and was able to finish the race. Hectic, and I’m sure it was crazy for a little while on paper.” -- Cindric after staying in the Round of 16 finale at Bristol despite a pit-road fire.
Looking ahead: Four years in and the Round of 12 has become the current ceiling for Cindric. He has the equipment and teammates around him to become a multi-time winner in a season at the Cup level. He's been the lone Team Penske driver to not be in the title mix in the Next Gen era, but that can change next year in what will be a very important 2026 for the young driver. Perhaps a second Harley J. Earl Trophy in February can spark a breakout year for the 27-year-old.