Here's the thing about Austin Cindric: his future at Team Penske is locked in. The 28-year-old North Carolina native confirmed Saturday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway that he will return to drive the No. 2 Ford for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season. Cindric has piloted that iconic machine for the historic team since February 2022, when he kicked off his tenure with a stunning Daytona 500 victory.
That extension arrives right in the middle of a wild, surging run of results. Cindric sits ninth in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 standings, backed by two top fives and three top 10s in his last four races. That includes a season-best second-place finish on Sept. 27 at Kansas Speedway. Over his last eight starts, he hasn't finished worse than 13th, fueling a career-best 15.7 average finish through 31 of 36 contests this year.
“It’s obviously come up in question, and I’m not entirely certain why it’s come into question, but there you go,” Cindric said. When asked directly if he was staying put, his answer was clean and simple: “That’s correct.” A straightforward “yes” confirmed he is keeping the No. 2 Ford.
His champion stablemates have definitely noticed the uptick in pace. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, pointed out the immense work rate behind the scenes, noting that one single moment going differently at Kansas could have turned that second place into a win. Joey Logano, a three-time Cup title winner, admitted the rest of the garage has been looking over at the No. 2 stall and asking what is making them so fast.
With Cindric's renewal secured, the Team Penske roster for the 2027 campaign is fully settled. Blaney locked in a multiyear contract extension back in May, and Logano is signed through at least next season. Meanwhile, defending O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love is slated to step into the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 2027, taking over the Penske-affiliated seat from Josh Berry once the season concludes.
