NASCAR Cup Series winner Austin Cindric will return for his sixth start in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, joining the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 lineup.
The 2022 Daytona 500 winner was announced Monday as a replacement for endurance driver Ben Barker, who broke his collarbone while skiing during the holidays.
Cindric will be teamed with Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx in a GT3 that he has been itching to race since watching one of its early tests nearly two years ago.
“The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career,” Cindric said in a release. “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.”
Cindric finished 11th in the 2024 Cup Series standings after making the playoffs with his second career victory. He becomes the second full-time Cup driver in this year’s field, joining Cup rookie Shane van Gisbergen (who also will be racing GTD Pro in a Corvette fielded by Trackhouse Racing).
“We have great momentum moving into the season opening round at Daytona,” Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, said in a release. “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 moving into stock cars full time, Cindric was a sports car winner and has eight starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship — including a most recent LMP2 category finish of sixth in the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona. He will be racing in GTD Pro with Ford (his most recent GT start was in a Mercedes at the 2022 Rolex 24).
Cindric is trying to join Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Jamie McMurray and Jeff Gordon as winners of both the Daytona 500 and Rolex 24.
“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.”
