Dale Earnhardt Jr Puts Roger Penske’s Driver on the “Hot Seat” to Disappoint Yet Again in 2024

The way it works in NASCAR is that you only get so many chances before being cut off. 2023 not going very well for a few drivers, they are on the brink of running out of such chances. One among them is the #2 Ford Mustang pilot, Austin Cindric. The 25-year-old has been with Team Penske for a few years now and climbed the ranks from the Truck Series, proving himself with an Xfinity Championship in between.

While his Cup Series promotion was certainly warranted, the bitter truth is that he hasn’t done enough up there. Discussing the driver on ‘Dale Jr Download’, the icon Dale Earnhardt Jr expressed his belief that 2024 will be Cindric’s final opportunity.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not happy with Austin Cindric’s role behind the #2 car

Talking with his co-host Mike Davis, Dale Earnhardt Jr conversed about underachievers in 2023. Questioning who among them could continue to underachieve in 2024, he named Roger Penske’s Austin Cindric. Cindric took over the #2 car in 2022, joining a long list of historic drivers who piloted it before him. Beginning in the 70s, the car raced through decades at a blistering pace with notable names like Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski behind its wheels.

Dale Jr’s contention was that Cindric hadn’t yet done enough to live up to the car’s past. He said, “I mean you know the #2 car is iconic. It’s been a Miller High Life car for years, it’s just been this car, right? And he’s just not been able to really get it going. I’m hoping they make the changes necessary in the offseason. Figure out what it is that Austin Cindric needs. I think Austin Cindric can do it if he gets the situation around him to make him successful.”

In the 2023 season, Cindric finished 24th in the driver standings. This is a big downgrade from his 12th position in 2022. Not impressed by his performances this year, Junior continued to express that his patience would run out by 2024.

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2024 will be the year Austin Cindric faces strong pressure to perform

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When Team Penske announced that Cindric would be returning to race for them in 2024, the driver was very aware of the chance that he’d got. He said in a statement at the time, “Driving for Roger, driving the two car, that’s a big deal. That’s a big opportunity. I don’t see myself getting too many other opportunities like that in my racing career.”

But his self-awareness can only do so much to help him show speed on the track. In two consecutive years, Roger Penske has been made a championship team owner, courtesy of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. His other driver, Cindric’s peak achievement, however, remains his Daytona 500 victory that came in 2022.

Talking about the same, Junior added to Davis, “So far it’s been nothing great outside of that Daytona 500 win. Is there a memorable finish? No, right? So, I think eventually, you got to say, ‘Look man, this guy’s on the hot seat’, right? He is probably already feeling the pressure, right? But when do the rest of us start to say, ‘Is the pressure on this guy or what?’ I think it’s next year, right?”

Austin Cindric and his #2 crew will hope to outperform themselves in 2024. It is without a doubt that Cindric is a driver of the highest caliber. Should the crew and he figure out what the issue is with their car and performance, the sky would be the limit for the latest pilot of the #2 Team Penske car.

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