Nearly 11 days from now, Austin Cindric will make his Supercars debut at the Adelaide Parklands Circuit from Nov. 27 to 30, joining Tickford Racing as its wildcard for the season finale. And while the 27-year-old faces far more than a simple learning curve, stepping into a field stacked with Oceania’s creme de la creme, he won’t be doing it alone.
Cindric enters Adelaide backed by his IndyCar Penske teammate, a 56-time Supercars race winner who could tilt the entire weekend in his favor.
Austin Cindric Taps Into Penske Firepower/His IndyCar Pal for High-Stakes Supercars Debut
First things first, Cindric isn’t walking into the Supercars paddock blind. Long before he became a full-time NASCAR Cup Series regular, Cindric kept a close eye on Australia’s premier touring car championship and even viewed it as a possible career destination.
In recent years, the flow of talent has mostly gone the other direction, with Supercars stars crossing into NASCAR, most notably Shane van Gisbergen. He now races full-time in the Cup Series.
Yes, Cindric’s firsthand Australian racing mileage is limited, but it still surpasses that of most of his NASCAR counterparts. He’s logged laps in a Gen2 Supercar and even tackled the Bathurst 12 Hour back in 2015, giving him at least a taste of what awaits him.
Still, nothing compares to getting firsthand guidance from someone like Scott McLaughlin. While Cindric represents Team Penske in the Cup Series, McLaughlin flies the same flag in IndyCar after leaving Supercars at the end of 2020, wrapping up a dominant four-year stint with DJR Team Penske.
His experience is invaluable for the 2022 Daytona 500 winner, who has admittedly been regularly picking the Kiwi’s brains ahead of his much-anticipated Supercars debut. “He has texted me every single day,” Cindric revealed to V8 Sleuth. “I think he is as excited about this as much as I am.”
Cindric arrived in Australia late last week and, earlier today, completed his first run in the Gen3 Mustang, sampling the Adelaide street course that awaits him in the finale. “He has been really cool, I’ve quizzed him a ton on Adelaide…,” the NCS No. 2 driver added. “He’s like, ‘man, I’m going to stay up and watch the race, text me after every session. If they let you send me data, send me data, I want to help as much as I can.’
“That’s been really cool. Scott is a great teammate, he’s a great mate. He’s a good dude.”
Recently, Tickford Racing unveiled the vibrant orange Armor All–backed livery that Cindric will campaign as the No. 5 wildcard in Adelaide, marking his arrival with a bold, unmistakable look. Before the finale rolls around, the Mooresville native continues preparing with a two-day test at The Bend this week, followed by today’s initial shakedown during a ride day in Melbourne.
With extra time in the seat before passengers climb aboard, Cindric is being given every opportunity to settle into the Gen3 Mustang, a final bit of polish as he gears up for a debut that promises to turn plenty of heads.