Cindric's Daytona 500-winning car joins NASCAR Hall of Fame

Cindric’s car was unveiled Tuesday as the final edition to the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s “Glory Road: 75 Years” exhibit, which features a display of historical machines that pays tribute to the people, cars and moments that have helped shape NASCAR racing from its inception in 1948.

The addition of Cindric’s Ford Mustang marks the first car from the Next Gen era to be featured on display at the Hall of Fame.

Cindric’s victory – the first by a rookie-of-the-year contender in the Daytona 500 – came in just his eighth Cup series start.

“It’s surreal to see a car with my name on it in the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said Cindric. “Winning the Daytona 500 is an amazing achievement for me, our team and our partners. So, to say this car is important to us, is an understatement.

“I know it will be in great hands. There’s a lot of history in that place. I’m proud to have it on display as part of the experience.”

Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Daytona 500-winning Next Gen car in NASCAR Hall of Fame

Asked if he ever envisioned having one of his cars on display at the Hall of Fame after just one fulltime season in Cup, Cindric said, “I probably would have guessed it would have been something that flipped or wrecked or some example of that, but probably not a Daytona 500-winning car.

“It shows you what’s possible when you drive for (team owner) Roger Penske and have a team like I have, so those are the things that are really important about having success in this sport.

“I think it’s important to have a Next Gen car at this facility, just because of how different (it is) and being able to see what we race every weekend.”

Opened on May 11, 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, N.C., licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.