When Austin Cindric was a young boy, he thought his father had the coolest job in the world.
Austin’s dad is Tim Cindric, who has been president of Team Penske since 1999.
While his father was calling race strategy for all three of Helio Castroneves’ Indianapolis 500 victories and helping build Team Penske’s IndyCar and NASCAR teams into perennial winners and champions, Austin Cindric grew up among the heroes of racing.
“In 2001, Austin was 3 years old and we have a photo of him and his brother with the Borg-Warner Trophy with the winning car and Helio Castroneves on Monday morning,” Tim Cindric recalled.
Growing up in Mooresville, N.C., Austin Cindric knew his father had a great job.
“I still think my dad has the coolest job on earth,” Austin Cindric said. “It’s great to have the relationship I have with him and, at such a young age, have the access to racing not a lot of other people are fortunate to have.
“When I was 5 years old and being able to go on a boat ride with Helio Castroneves or riding on a tube on Lake Norman with those guys; and being able to be normal with such incredible drivers and people and be exposed to that. And to have the access to racing that I’ve had at such a young age.
“I’ve been spoiled from that perspective, to not know anything else other than that kind of life. I’m very lucky to have that side of the sport and the people who are in it at that level,” the younger Cindric said. “It’s cool to grow up around that. I try to gain perspective on the other side of things and give myself that kind of perspective, but I’ve been lucky to really understand that perspective from a different side.”
This father/son relationship, however, took an interesting turn before Austin’s age reached double-digits.
“When he was 9, I came home one day and as I walked into the garage, he said, ‘Dad, I would like to sit down with you and mom and have a life-changing discussion,’” Tim Cindric recalled. “I said, ‘You want to do what?’
“He said, ‘No, seriously, I would like to talk to you guys. I’ve been thinking about it a really long time and I would like to become a race car driver.’
“That was the last thing from my mind.”
Tim Cindric never wanted to be a driver’s dad. He knew the challenges and risks involved.
“Megan (Tim’s wife and Austin’s mom) quickly said, ‘Austin, you are going to be too tall to be a race car driver,’” Tim Cindric continued. “He said, ‘That’s not true. Michael Waltrip is taller than dad and he drives race cars.’
“This wasn’t long after we moved to North Carolina when the team moved from Pennsylvania. We had a grocery-store go-kart with a Briggs & Stratton engine on it. It used to be Graham Rahal’s. Somehow, it ended up at my house.
“We gave that away to somebody in Pennsylvania. I said, ‘Austin, this isn’t about getting one of those go-karts again.’ He said, ‘No, I need to go to proper driving schools and get proper instructions. I need to do lead-follows with different instructors.’
“I said, ‘Let’s give it a bit more thought and we’ll get back to you.’
“He said, ‘I would appreciate you considering it.’
“I said to Megan, ‘This will blow over. Don’t worry about it.’
“We didn’t talk about it for another week or two,” Tim Cindric continued. “I honestly forgot about it. We were driving along, and he asked, ‘Dad, have you given our conversation any more thought?’
“I said, ‘I have, but I don’t really have an answer for you.’ He said, ‘Well, I’m glad you are still considering it.’”
Tim Cindric sought advice from former NASCAR driver Mike Wallace, whose son and daughter were involved in racing, and with the help of David Ragan’s father, Ken, the Cindrics became involved in Legend Car racing.
“As we went along, I thought I would find a young kid that could help Austin, so when he went up to Legends they could work together,” Tim Cindric explained. “Austin never had a painted helmet when he got started. I see kids with painted helmets and uniforms and names on trailers. I told him to worry about what goes on inside the car and I’ll worry about what goes on outside of the car.
“It wasn’t about flashy stuff,” Tim Cindric continued. “He wore a plain black helmet and a plain black uniform all the time. Once he won, he put an American flag on the side of an all-white car. As time moved along, a friend of mine started to sponsor the car.”
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