Roger Penske’s Only Winner Talks Big Game For 2024 After Snapping 85 Races Winless Streak

Roger Penske driver Austin Cindric made it to the victory lane. Are you surprised? Because half the NASCAR world sure is. But while no one expected this Penske driver, he surpassed everyone’s expectations. The driver with no wins last season made it to the playoffs in 2024! That win at Gateway snapped him out of an 85-race winless streak.

We can imagine the self-confidence boost this gave him. And confidence, as we saw, can do miracles, especially in NASCAR. We saw that play out in the case of Keselowski. He broke a 110-race winless streak and now has three consecutive top finishes. The same can happen for Cindric, and as far as his strategies for the future go, he has a plan of action ready.

Roger Penske’s team never lost faith in Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric is the son of Pensky’s President. So more often than not, terms like “born with a silver spoon” or referring to him as a nepotism child are common. After his win, fans revisited the nepotism angle. But regardless of his privileges, the fact of the matter is that he won, and this season he is the first Pensky driver to do so.

Walt Czarnecki, Vice Chairman of Penske Corporation, said, “We just talked about it in Victory Lane. We’ve never lost faith in Austin Cindric, I promise you.” Cindric had an advantageous start at the race, and Christopher Bell and Blaney’s setbacks turned out to be a blessing for him. After the race, he shared his plans with Racing America. He said that he would love to get a ton of points because, unlike the Xfinity races, he feels that stage points or race wins are crucial for Cup races.

He said, “So, the next couple of months are going to be really important for us to be prepared for that opportunity because I don’t want it just to be an appearance; I want it to be an opportunity for us to run in a championship.” 

This win makes it only his second win in the Cup series. He has 17 top-10 finishes and a single pole position. This performance, according to NASCAR standards, isn’t great. And when it isn’t great and you still get a seat to race, rumors will fly. And it doesn’t help that his father is the president where he is employed! But while fans are top-turfy with what they say is a “win-wasted,” we have a legend like Denny Hamlin who doesn’t subscribe to the thought.

Austin Cindric has Denny Hamlin’s support 

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Denny Hamlin says things as they are. So when it came to talking about the nepotism angle, it was not like he would sugarcoat his feelings. But Denny Hamlin truly is behind the Roger Penske driver. He even drew a comparison to Ty Gibbs, who too has famous familial ties with the sport.

He said, “If you can go out there and win races and be a contender that disappears over time, you know what I mean because you know Ty Gibbs. While he is still a beginner, so really young, um he shows that okay he is will be he is will good It is I will just need time, um and he is He is constantly in the top 5 and top 10. […] Cindric is finally figuring out what he needs with this car, and could this be the deciding factor that makes him a contender in the future?”

Between all those arguments, it is crucial to note that this kind of background can add additional pressure to prove themselves more than other drivers on the track. But yes, it might be true that they get a little leeway compared to others. Hamlin also said that this win brought the Roger Penske driver some time. He said, “It buys you time, but you can only sell the dream for so long. You gotta live it eventually, and he lived it this weekend, which certainly is gonna be beneficial.”

Cindric has been with Team Penske for a long time now. But he has only been in Cup racing since 2022. He started as an Xfinity Series driver. Also in 2022, he won the Daytona 500 and qualified for the playoffs. He finished 12th in the cup standings at that time. But 2023 was rather disappointing for him, as he didn’t win a single race and missed the playoffs. This win is surely a confidence booster for him.

What do you think the future will look like for Cindric? Share with us your thoughts.