Austin Cindric has turned heads early in his first official Supercars weekend, leading one proven winner to set some big expectations.
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"I think he's going to surprise a fair few people this weekend, and we'll see how he goes," Tickford Racing's Cam Waters, one of Cindric's teammates this weekend, told media members after the opening practice session.
Waters knows what it takes to go quickly around the Adelaide circuit. After all, he led the opening practice session with a time of 1:19.576. Cindric, for comparison, posted the 23rd-fastest time of the session at 1:20.713.
Despite the time difference, Waters explained that this was an "awesome" start to the weekend for the former Daytona 500 champion. Cindric executed his plan during the session, which set him up with the opportunity to go study data and prepare for more time on the track.
Waters also saw how Cindric adapted to a different type of Ford Mustang race car after the two tested together at Tailem Bend in South Australia, saying that the NASCAR driver was really good around the circuit.
The Team Penske driver acknowledged before he took on the Adelaide circuit that he would have to ramp up as the weekend progressed. He didn't have any experience with the turns, the straights, and the best areas to find speed.
"This weekend will start with learning the track," Cindric said in a release from Tickford Racing. "Since arriving, I've gotten some very valuable track time behind the wheel of the Gen3 Ford Mustang at Sandown and Tailem Bend.
"I want to run all the laps, as I think that will be critical to continuing to progress and help our chances of being in the mix throughout the weekend."
My adventure in Australia is off to a great start. Livery launch and first laps on track. Huge thank you to all that have made this possible. Ready to get to work for Adelaide!@FordRacing / @supercars / @RepcoAustralia / @TickfordRacing pic.twitter.com/cTh8RAlziO
— Austin Cindric (@AustinCindric) November 17, 2025
As Cindric has continued to gain experience in Supercars, he has impressed more people than his Tickford Racing teammate. The series official website noted that Hall of Famer and five-time champion Mark Skaife highlighted how Cindric managed his equipment while gaining experience in the Gen 3 Ford Mustang.
"Great job. For him to end up 23rd with a 20.7, they didn't put an extra set of tyres on," Skaife said, per Supercars.
"He was a second away from the fastest guy, but without a set of tyres. That is a really credible performance, that is an excellent job."
Unlike at Cindric's day job, he will not go straight into qualifying after this practice session. He will actually return to the Adelaide circuit for more practice. This will take place on Friday at 10:30 a.m. local time. This is 7 p.m. ET on Thursday for residents of the United States.
