“It was a good comeback.” Ryan Blaney may have been talking about his resurgence during the 2025 Ambetter Health 400 race, but his statement reflects the overall mood in Team Penske. The Cup Series team has been dazzling for the past few months. All three drivers cracked the playoffs and Joey Logano clinched his third Penske championship. One caveat remained – their time usually shines at the end of a season. But according to Austin Cindric, that flaw is no longer there.

The No. 2 Ford driver fetched the first race victory for Team Penske last season. Austin Cindric won in June, at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and made it into Round of 12 in the playoffs. The flip side to 2025 is that he is continuing that fast momentum even in the early part of the season.

Austin Cindric gets candid about his team’s pace

Well, the 2024 playoffs demonstrated just how much of a force Team Penske could be. Austin Cindric fetched two of his four top-fives during the playoffs. 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney made it into the Round of 8. Then, of course, Joey Logano rebounded from an elimination to charge for the championship. This year, all three made sure to continue this momentum. This is contrary to their usual early-season pace, marred by a truckload of crashes and poor finishes. In the season’s first Cup races Daytona and Atlanta, all three Penske drivers have combined to lead 334 of the 467 laps run. According to Cindric, this is going to continue.

During a recent interview with Frontstretch, Austin Cindric proudly declared that his team is on the right path. “I guess this is where I get to say that,” then Cindric added a smug 3-word declaration, “I was right.” He continued, “I don’t know, I’ve been asked all off-season, all pre-season stuff – why do we start every year and come on strong in the playoffs…We have no excuse not to start the year the way we finished it.” In 2024, teams were still adjusting to the Ford Mustang Dark Horse – one reason cited for the slow pace that all Ford teams exhibited. So Cindric continued that a lot of improvement has been made in this regard. “We’ve gone through a lot of different changes in the body of the Ford Mustang over the years. It’s taken us time to kind of rehone where our setups need to be.”

Austin Cindric’s individual pace most recently at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was impressive. He started from the 3rd spot, led for 63 laps, and won Stage 1. A loose wheel axed his pace a little bit, but Cindric was highly motivated – he managed to finish 6th in the Pennzoil 400 race. This elicited positive reactions from NASCAR expert Eric Estepp. So Cindric beamed at his speed: “I feel like Vegas last weekend was a great example of us being able to show up with a good no book, apply it, and have good results. I can’t promise that for every race weekend, but fo us there is no excuse not to perform as well as we finished the season. So I think it’s just a continuation of that.”

As Austin Cindric offered on-track reasons for his team’s improved pace, there may be other reasons as well. One of them is a crucial organizational shuffle.

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Only one Cindric in the NASCAR wing

Roger Penske may be the face of Team Penske. However, several people have contributed to the effective working of this organization – one of them being Tim Cindric. The father of Austin Cindric and Roger Penske’s right-hand man, he has served as President of the team for 25 years. He joined Penske in 1999 and oversaw the operations in NASCAR, IndyCar, and sports car racing in IMSA and the World Endurance Championship series. Cindric’s other responsibilities include overseeing Penske Technology Group, Penske Restoration, the Penske Heritage Center, and the Penske Racing Museum. However,his NASCAR duty just came to an end during the off-season.

Over the off-season, Tim Cindric stepped down as ‘the overall day-to-day leader of Team Penske’s racing programs’. Michael Nelson, the President of Team Penske’s NASCAR Program, and Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport will both report directly to Roger Penske. Now, Cindric’s role is limited to IndyCar, as the official team statement read. “Tim will remain as the president of Team Penske’s IndyCar efforts and have oversight of the team’s racing archives and historical assets. Ron Ruzewski will continue as Managing Director for the IndyCar team.” 

In his farewell speech, Tim Cindric’s emotions were apparent. “I have lived my dream job for the past 25 years as the overall leader of the Penske Racing Organization. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best people in the business while achieving many milestones together. I’ve decided I need to make a change that provides me with the flexibility I need at this stage of my career. I appreciate the understanding Roger has provided throughout our conversations, and I’m confident this team will continue to succeed as we have a proven leadership team in all areas.”

Did Austin Cindric’s father’s exit influence any changes in Team Penske? Maybe, but more importantly, Team Penske is on a chart of success with no hint of stopping.