Ford Performance announced Monday afternoon (Jan. 6) that Austin Cindric has been signed to drive the No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 for Ford Multimatic Motorsports in the GTD Pro class later this month in Daytona alongside full-time drivers Sebastian Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller.
Cindric will be driving in place of regular driver Ben Barker, who suffered a broken collarbone in a skiing accident recently. As a result, Barker will start his season on the bench.
“The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career,” Cindric stated in a press release. “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,” Cindric continued. “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.
Cindric has eight previous starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Five of those have come in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in four different classes. His best finishes are a pair of fifths. They came in 2019 in the GTD class for Vasser Sullivan and in 2023 in the LMP2 class for Rick Ware Racing.
Cindric has a good amount of experience in GT3 equipment in addition to his NASCAR responsibilities. In 2016, Cindric raced a McLaren 650S GT3 full-time in then-Pirelli World Challenge for K-PAX Racing. Of his eight WeatherTech starts, six of them have come in GT3 equipment. His most recent GT3 race was the 2022 Rolex 24, where he drove a WeatherTech-sponsored Mercedes for Proton Competition in the GTD Pro class.
Barker was originally scheduled to run the three longest endurance races on the IMSA calendar in 2025 (Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta). The injury cuts that down to two races.
Barker’s full-time ride is with Proton Competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Their season is due to start with the Qatar 1812km race on Feb. 28. The press release did not note whether Barker would be good to go for the season opener, or the WEC Prologue the week before.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
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