Austin Cindric Running Rolex 24 for Ford Multimatic Motorsports
NASCAR Cup Series winner Austin Cindric will be a last-minute entry into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, driving for Ford Multimatic Motorsports.
Cindric will be subbing for endurance driver Ben Barker, who broke his collarbone while skiing during the holidays. The Mooresville, North Carolina-native will join the full-season pairing of Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx.
“The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career,” said Cindric. “This will be my sixth opportunity to run this race, and with the Ford Mustang GT3, it’s one of the best opportunities I’ll have had at taking one of those watches home.”
“It’s important that I wish Ben all the best in his recovery as I get to keep his seat warm. I’m keen to do my part in contributing to a great result, but also representing Multimatic and Ford properly as they start their season in IMSA.”
The 26-year-old driver is a multi-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, including a landmark triumph in the 2022 Daytona 500, driving a Ford Mustang for Team Penske.
“We have great momentum moving into the season opening round at Daytona,” offered Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “It is a difficult situation with Ben’s injury coming when it did, but we are excited to have Austin step into the Ford Mustang GT3. Austin is one of the most diverse drivers we have, a proven winner with Mustang in NASCAR and sports cars. He is a perfect fit to step in and team with Seb and Rocky at Daytona.”
Before jumping into NASCAR, Cindric competed in major sports car events across North America, proving his talent as a development driver for Ford Performance in Mustang GT4.
“In 2025, it'll be 10 years exactly since the first time I came down to Daytona to race for Multimatic and Ford in Michelin Pilot Challenge,” Cindric said. “That nervous 16-year-old would be happy to learn where things would be 10 years on. Needless to say, there are a lot of familiar faces. I'm grateful to get the nod, and I'm looking forward to getting to work soon."
“It is a real shame for Ben and for the team that he will miss Daytona, but accidents happen. He is already on the mend and will be back in action soon,” said Pascal Zurlinden, Executive Vice President, Multimatic Engineering & Special Vehicle Operations. “We’re delighted to welcome Austin back to the team and we are sure he will do an excellent job, as he has always done for us.”
The 2025 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona will take place on Saturday, January 25, and Sunday, January 26. The NBC family of networks will have coverage of the prestigious endurance event.
-a54bf325b08a5e9f769b818f5c4a244c.png "Joseph Srigley")
Joseph Srigley covers NASCAR for TobyChristie.com, Racing America, and OnSI, and is the owner of the #SrigleyStats brand. With a higher education in the subjects of business, mathematics, and data analytics, Joseph is able to fully understand the inner workings of the sport through multiple points of perspective.