Austin Cindric is stepping in for Ben Barker at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. After Barker found himself out of commission due to a skiing accident, Multimatic Motorsports quickly moved to secure a replacement.
Cindric, seasoned in both NASCAR events and endurance racing, is tapped to take on the No. 64 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 challenge.
Stepping into Barker's shoes, Cindric will share driving duties with Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell. Rockenfeller stands out, backed by his World Endurance Champion title and 24 Hours of Le Mans victory experience.
Cindric has ventured into the Rolex 24 before with his best performances being fifth-place finishes in the GTD class in 2019 and 2022. His most recent participation in 2023 saw him finish sixth in the LMP2 category with Rick Ware Racing. The full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver commented:
"The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career.
"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.
"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.
"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."
Pascal Zurlinden, Executive Vice President, Multimatic Engineering & Special Vehicle Operations offered an update on Ben's recovery after he broke he collarbone:
"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,.
"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."
Cindric enters as part of a historic moment, marking Ford's revived involvement in sports car racing on a global scale, particularly with the introduction of the new Mustang GT3.
Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports also commented on Cindric stepping in:
"We have great momentum moving into the season opening round at Daytona.
"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."
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