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Team Penske will try to get a fourth car into the 2021 Daytona 500, with Auston Cindric behind the wheel. The team also announced that Miles Stanley would serve as his crew chief.
Cindric will have to race his way into the 40-car field. Team Penske’s other three cars, the No. 2 of Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney’s No. 12, and the 22 driven by Joey Logano, are guaranteed a spot via a charter. Cindric’s No. 33 Mustang does not.
22-year-old Cindric is the defending Xfinity Series champion and will make select starts in the famed No. 21 Cup Series team of the Wood Brothers. He had a breakout season in 2020 with six wins, 19 top-fives, and 26 top-tens in 33 starts in capturing the title. Now he hopes to make his Cup debut with Team Penske.
"There is a lot to be excited about heading into Daytona,” said Cindric in a Penske release. “It doesn't really even need to be said that the Daytona 500 is the biggest crown jewel race in NASCAR and one of the biggest races in the world - so to have a shot to be in the show while driving for Roger Penske is a big opportunity. Qualifying our way into the race as an ‘open’ car will be a big challenge. I look forward to working with Miles and all of the guys on the No. 33 team, while also continuing my focus on winning back-to-back Xfinity Series Championships."
Austin Cindric and Miles Stanley partner for just one race for Team Penske
Stanley has been with Team Penske since 2013 as an engineer for crew chief Todd Gordon and driver Joey Logano. He also filled in as crew chief for two races in 2017.
Stanley transitioned to race engineer for the No. 12 Ford team and driver Ryan Blaney last season. He will continue in that position again in 2021. Before joining Team Penske, he served as crew chief for Robby Gordon’s NASCAR operation.
This is what Stanley had to say about serving as crew chief for a Cup Series:
“Ever since I joined Team Penske in 2013, I’ve been able to grow as an engineer and learn from some of the best in the business,” said Stanley. “Now I get the chance to become a Cup Series crew chief with one of the formidable organizations in the sport, which is an amazing opportunity. To get to do it with Austin at Daytona International Speedway is a perfect recipe for success. I look forward to working with him and hitting the ground running with the No. 33 Ford team in Daytona and the other Cup Series races that Austin runs in 2021.”
