By Andy DeLay, Staff Writer
You have to respect a driver anytime they step out of their comfort zone. In an era where contracts are locked tight and drivers are wrapped in cotton wool, seeing a NASCAR Cup Series driver trade his Sunday comforts for a bruising street fight at the bottom of the world warms this old man’s heart.
That’s exactly what Austin Cindric did this past week. The Team Penske driver flew down under, strapped himself into a Tickford Racing Ford Mustang, and took on the ferocious Adelaide 500. I’ll tell you this: the V8 Supercars paddock is no place for the faint of heart.
The Prep: No Holiday in the Sun
This was no holiday. Cindric put in work. Before he even touched the tarmac in Adelaide, he was logging hours in the Ford Performance simulator and turning laps at The Bend Motorsport Park to get a feel for the Gen3 Mustang. He even hopped in for a “jet lag” ride-along with Cam Waters at Sandown just hours after landing.
The biggest hurdle? The car itself. Sitting on the right side, shifting with the left hand, and no power steering… It’s a physical beast compared to the Gen 7 Cup car that he’s used to driving.
The Friday Street Fight
The highlight for us watching from the States was Friday’s Sprint Race. The conditions were absolutely miserable. Rain poured down upon the street circuit, making the painted lines slicker than ice. For a guy making his debut, a standing start in the wet on a street circuit is about as tough as it gets.
Cindric qualified 24th, which he cheekily noted was “a start”, then threw himself into the fray.
The start was hair-raising. The car directly ahead of him stalled on the grid, forcing Cindric to take evasive action. He dodged a wreck before he even got out of 1st gear, then kept his nose clean, managed the chaos, and brought the No. 5 Mustang home in 23rd place.
Now, 23rd might not sound like a headline to some, but look closer. He finished on the lead lap in treacherous conditions, didn’t knock down the fence or tear the fenders off, and gained invaluable data for the team. As Cindric put it, he was “mildly satisfied” with the run, joking about the stall in front of him: “Conveniently, the guy in front of me decided to stall, so that got pretty involved.”
A Racer’s Racer
The rest of the weekend had its bumps, including a tangle with championship contender Chaz Mostert on Sunday that left Cindric limping home in 21st—but the result on Friday proved he had what it takes to be out there on the grid. He didn’t come to Australia to get a tan; he came to learn and to fight the SuperCar fight.
In a world of specialized drivers, Austin Cindric showed he’s a racer’s racer, and that’s something we’ll always applaud here at Seriously Fast Motorsports.
Image Credit: Patrick Vallely