Cindric, who races for Team Penske in the NASCAR Cup Series, tested a Ford FG Falcon more than a decade ago at Queensland Raceway with Matt Stone Racing car usually driven by Todd Hazelwood.
After the 2014 test, a second came in 2016 with the then-known DJR Team Penske in Fabian Coulthard’s Ford FG X Falcon.
It was hoped the DJR Team Penske relationship would spawn a Bathurst 1000 co-drive, but Cindric’s evaluation and date clashes with GT3 commitments precluded him from that.
By 2017, Cindric had committed himself to stock car racing and began racing in the NASCAR Truck Series that year.
Speaking ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Gateway, Cindric revealed Supercars was a serious career consideration.
He ultimately went down the stock car path, but soon he’ll be a Supercars starter at the Adelaide Grand Final later this year in what he labelled a “full circle” moment.
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“It’s been about 10 years since I’ve been down to Australia to go race,” said Cindric.
“There was a certain point in time in my career that it was a legitimate consideration to go race full-time, whether it be in Super2 or something else.
“Obviously, they’ve done a great job with that series in producing great drivers, so as a younger driver, [Supercars was] something I really looked at pretty heavily.
“I’ve always kind of kept a pulse on it. I did some racing down there in the past for the Bathurst 12 Hour and had a lot of great relationships there. It’s really cool to see it all come full circle.
“I wouldn’t be able to do it without the help and connection from Ford with all the guys at Tickford and just piecing things together to see if it is all possible and then kind of go through the paperwork of how do I get approved and this and that.”
At the moment, the wildcard is a one-off. However, Cindric is optimistic that there may be opportunities beyond Adelaide.
“All in all, it’s going to be a super fun adventure,” he said.
“It’s something that I look at as a great opportunity to hopefully do more races than just the one.
“I want to do well and represent myself as well as possible.
“It’s a tricky course and an incredibly competitive series, so looking to see, see what I learned about myself and how well I stack up against a pretty, pretty stout grid.”
When Cindric makes his debut on November 27-30, Cindric will become the first driver from the United States since Alexander Rossi in 2019 to race in Supercars.
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