CONCORD, N.C. — Austin Cindric confirmed Saturday morning that he will return to Team Penske as driver of the No. 2 Ford for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Cindric has driven the iconic car number for the historic team since 2022, winning the Daytona 500 that February. His new contract ensures a continued stay in Penske’s winningest car number for the near future.
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Cindric sits ninth in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 standings after a strong recent run of results, earning two top fives and three top 10s in his last four races, including a notable and season-best second-place finish on Sept. 27 at Kansas Speedway.
Cindric responded simply but emphatically, “That’s correct,” when asked if he would be staying put for the 2027 season — secured by an additional “yes” when asked to confirm he’s remaining in the No. 2 Ford.
“It’s obviously come up in question, and I’m not entirely certain why it’s come into question, but there you go,” Cindric said during Saturday’s media availabilities at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The 28-year-old North Carolina native is producing a career-best 15.7 average finish through 31 of 36 contests this season, bolstered by an impressive stretch that began this summer. Over the last eight races, Cindric has finished 13th or better, supercharging his run into The Chase and performing once the postseason began.
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“I feel like consistency is kind of due to necessity with where we were regular-season points-wise for really the last two or three months,” Cindric said, “so definitely critical for us to be able to execute at that high of a level, and obviously, it’s that time of year to bring our best stuff and be able to come to race tracks for a second time and apply good notebooks throughout the regular season and into The Chase. So obviously it’s shown, and we’ve got to keep it rolling for the next five weeks.”
Cindric’s champion teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano have taken notice of the general uptick around the No. 2 team’s performance. Blaney and Cindric have both finished inside the top five in each of their last two starts.
“Austin, I think, has been an incredible asset to our group,” said Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion. “It’s been fun to work with him since ’22, really, when he (went) full time. Brings a lot of knowledge for how young he is. He brings a lot of good ideas. I enjoy his insight in our meetings and things like that. He makes me think about things a different way – which I mean, Joey does that too. We all kind of play off each other, but it’s nice that group has been able to have some clean races and have the speed – not only have clean races, but have the speed to run up front. I mean, gosh, I think one thing goes different in Kansas, he wins that race.
“He puts a lot of work in. I think (crew chief) Brian Wilson is very good at what he does. So yeah, it’s nice for that group to get going, and Austin (is) probably one of the hardest working guys in the garage, I think, of just time and effort he puts into things, and being very methodical, and it’s nice that it’s finally paying off for that group.”
Logano, a three-time Cup title winner, has also seen the No. 2 team’s pace pick up, a trend that can help all of Team Penske in the long run.
“He’s been really strong here recently, and they’ve been executing solid races,” Logano said. “And really, they’ve brought a lot of speed to the race track. That’s the biggest thing that I’ve noticed different. Austin’s always been a great competitor, great teammate, real student of the sport. Works really hard at it. So it’s not a huge surprise to me. But obviously, we’re looking and saying, ‘Hey, why are you guys so fast? What’s going on over here? What are you guys doing?’ And that’s part of having a good teammate.”
Cindric stormed to the 2020 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship and was one corner short of a second straight title in 2021. Cindric has 13 O’Reilly wins, plus a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2017.
The Team Penske roster is now set for the 2027 campaign after a multiyear contract extension for Blaney was announced in May, and Logano is signed through at least next season. Defending O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love will take over the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 2027, an affiliate car to Team Penske, replacing Josh Berry after the season ends.