Team Penskes’ Only Blemish on a Successful 2023 Season Talks About His 2024 Season With New Crew Chief

Two back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series championships for Team Penske have certainly rolled into the new decade of this century in some style. It was Joey Logano in 2022 and Ryan Blaney in 2023 continuing the winning tradition at Penske. However, not everyone is in sync with the winning mantra in the Penske camp. Their No.2 Austin Cindric struggled massively trying to mirror his teammates during last year’s campaign.

The team celebrated yet another Cup triumph. However, Cindric brought an end to a disastrous 2023 chapter with a #24 finish in the points standings. Luckily for him, with the dawn of the new season, he is presented with an opportunity to redeem himself. Tagging alongside Cindric will be Brian Wilson who was roped in as his crew chief last season in a swap with Jeremy Bullins from Wood Brothers Racing. WBR and Penske have an alliance that allowed them to make this swap possible. On the receiving end of this swap was Harrison Burton who saw Bullins take the reigns as his crew chief.

Cindric-Wilson duo looking to build a promising team

Notably, Wilson has worked with Cindric before in the Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series. The duo have registered a total of 13 wins in Xfinity while the highlight of their partnership was the 2020 championship triumph. Ever since Wilson’s involvement with the No.2 team since the Darlington race, they managed two top-ten finishes and a top-five finish which came at the Talladega Super Speedway. Unfortunately, it was a little too late for a bounce back as their fate was already written.

However, Austin Cindric believes that back with Wilson the team has built a good momentum going into the season. In an interview with Bob Pockrass, he said, “Coming off from a performance standpoint it gave us really a headstart on 2024. Obviously not being in the Playoffs you either kinda just race for the teammates or race for opportunities next season. So far myself, Brian, everybody on 2 team just kinda get a headstart, build a notebook together with this car and give us a shot to start off 2024 on the right foot.”

So Team Penske has played their cards right in aligning both the parties together in hopes of redemption for the abysmal showing during the 2023 season. It’s not that Cindric does not have the makings of a winning NASCAR driver. In fact, in 2022, he won the Daytona 500 opener. At the same time, he racked in eight top-ten finishes making his way into the playoffs. The duo Wilson and Cindric will have to figure out the drop from #12 to #24 and work towards getting back to winning ways.

Needless to say, the 25-year-old will be under pressure to perform for being a part of a winning team like Penske.

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2024 could be make or break season for Cindric

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NASCAR is an unforgiving sport. Especially if you are under the banner of a team like Penske. Struggle and incapacity can be singled out in a team that has been winning back-to-back championships and Cindric is under the spotlight. Team Penske’s call in announcing his return for the 2024 season last year indicated that they have some belief in the driver. Cindric himself is aware of the fact that this opportunity could well be in final one for him.

It is an uphill climb for Cindric and his crew chief to get back in form for the 2024 season. In last year’s regular season in both the Daytona 500 race he was off the pace, finishing 23rd in the opener and 37th in the playoff contention race. So much for a driver who won his Daytona 500 race just a year ago. Moreover, being winless the entire campaign, the best he could muster up was a #5 finish at Talladega but that was it.

Austin Cindric is in a hot seat going into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. And if the 2023 struggles creep back in there will be serious questions regarding his future with the team.

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