NASCAR: 5 Xfinity Series drivers poised for future Cup moves
By Asher Fair
Xfinity Series drivers poised for Cup moves: Austin Cindric
Compared to the first two drivers discussed in this article, Austin Cindric had been seen as still needing time to develop. His maiden NASCAR Xfinity Series victory came last August at Watkins Glen International, and it ended a 53-race winless streak to start his career. He followed it up with a dominant victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
But in a year when he is expected to at least be one of the four Championship 4 drivers at Phoenix Raceway, he was still seeking his first oval victory and riding a 25-race win drought.
Fortunately, he got it — and four more to go with it.
Cindric swept the race weekend at Kentucky Speedway and then won again at Texas Motor Speedway for his third consecutive oval win. He then dominated at Kansas Speedway, although he came up one lap shy of what would have been a record fourth consecutive win.
Keep in mind, he did this after having never won an oval race before.
He then won the next two races at Road America and the Daytona International Speedway road course, and he won the regular season championship because of that surge.
The 22-year-old Columbus, Ohio native appears to be a lock to join Team Penske’s Cup Series team at some point within the next two or three years, so there is no need to rush. Notably, he is the son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric.
Brad Keselowski had been the only one of Roger Penske’s three Cup Series drivers without a contract for the 2021 season, and there were rumors that he would leave the team to replace retiring seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports.
While this won’t happen since Keselowski has now re-signed with the team, his contract length wasn’t specified, and Cindric could still move up to Team Penske’s Cup Series team in the near future. Let’s also not forget the fact that they aren’t at maximum capacity yet with only three cars.
Even if he doesn’t go right to Team Penske, Cindric could be able to move to the Team Penske-affiliated Wood Brothers Racing to replace Matt DiBenedetto, and that could potentially happen as early as 2021.
Regardless, don’t be surprised if Cindric is a full-time Cup Series driver sooner rather than later. His 2020 Xfinity Series season has helped boost those odds.