Austin Cindric has revealed a simple but surprising trait about NASCAR team owner Roger Penske that still leaves him shocked. Cindric, 27, is competing in his fifth full-time Cup Series season for Team Penske and has two victories to his name across his career thus far.

Penske, a close friend of President Donald Trump, is “just another guy,” according to Cindric, despite the major sport’s figure’s immense power and influence. “The first thing that comes to mind is remembering everyone’s name — at 27 years old, I haven’t mastered that quality,” Cindric said when asked what he’s learned from Penske.

“I don’t know if I ever will, so I don’t know if that’s something I could take. But if I would I could, because it definitely makes an impact.

“But more than that, it’s remembering experiences with people. When he’s one-on-one with you — whether you’re a driver, custodian, facilities guy, race engineer — every experience is fairly human and personal. It catches people off guard that he’s not (intimidating). He is a very powerful figure, but he’s just another guy. He’s a racer.

“Staying true to that for as long as he has — that personal experience with each person no matter who you are or where you rank — is critically important if you’re going to be a leader.”

Cindric has managed just two top-ten finishes in 2026, passing the checkered flag in fifth at Darlington and eighth at Martinsville. However, the No. 2 car currently sits 17th in the Cup Series standings, one shy of the postseason championship “Chase.”

Still, Cindric has stated that now is not the time to panic. Team Penske and the No. 2 have ample time to make appropriate adjustments to make the postseason.

“I mean, I find it a bit difficult to speak for (the No. 22 team), but I think more than anything else, it speaks to how easy it is to be off in the Cup Series,” he said. “And by off, I don’t mean, you know, having a bad day, but like that it’s the cars themselves, the competitive nature, like, everything’s all really sensitive.

“So it’s kind of one of those things that, you know, the smallest piece or part, or not necessarily the car itself. But like a decision, or, you know, a mindset, or just how things fell.

“When we’re talking about tenths of a pound of air pressure making balance swings throughout a run, nothing really surprises me anymore. …

” … I don’t think there’s any reason to hit the panic button in that scenario.”