Ford Performance NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric has been added to the Ford Multimatic Motorsports lineup for IMSA’s 62^nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Austin Cindric has been added to the Ford Multimatic Motorsports lineup for IMSA’s 62^nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Cindric will substitute for endurance ace William “Ben” Barker, the 33-year-old Brit who broke his collarbone while skiing during the holidays. Cindric joins the team’s full-season pairing of 41-year-old German Mike Rockenfeller and 23-year-old Sebastian Priaulx of Great Britain in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3.

“The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career,” said Cindric, a 26-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, residing in Mooresville, N.C. “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. 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.”

The twice-around-the-clock event at Daytona International Speedway is the traditional season-opener for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. A field of 59 cars in four classes is anticipated to make the rolling start at approximately 1:40 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Cindric is a multi-race winning driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series, including the 2022 Daytona 500 on the Speedway’s high-banked/2.5-mile oval in Team Penske’s No. 2 Mustang Dark Horse. The Rolex 24 is contested on Daytona’s 3.56-mile Sports Car Course layout, which incorporates most of the tri-oval and the track’s infield road-course.

“We have great momentum moving into the season-opening round at Daytona,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “It’s a difficult situation with Ben’s injury coming when it did, but we are excited to have Austin step into the Ford Mustang GT3. Austin is one of the most diverse drivers we have, a proven winner with Mustang in NASCAR and sports cars. He is a perfect fit to step in and team with Seb and Rocky at Daytona.”

Prior to launching his career in stock car racing, Cindric competed in major sports car series across North America. Cindric honed his talent as a Ford development driver in a Mustang GT4, a stint which included four Michelin Pilot Challenge appearances with Multimatic Motorsports at Daytona, and a 2019 race win alongside Priaulx at Road Atlanta.

“In 2025, it’ll be 10 years exactly since the first time I came down to Daytona to race for Multimatic and Ford in Michelin Pilot Challenge,” Cindric said. “That nervous 16-year-old would be happy to learn where things would be 10 years on. Needless to say, there are a lot of familiar faces. I’m grateful to get the nod, and I’m looking forward to getting to work soon.”

Multimatic’s Pascal Zurlinden said Cindric offers a seamless transition to the team for North America’s premier endurance event.

“It’s a real shame for Ben and for the team that he will miss Daytona, but accidents happen. He is already on the mend and will be back in action soon,” said Zurlinden, executive vice president, Multimatic Engineering & Special Vehicle Operations. “We’re delighted to welcome Austin back to the team and we are sure he will do an excellent job, as he has always done for us.”

IMSA’s top-shelf Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class will see multiple OEM entries from Acura, Cadillac, BMW and Porsche vying for the overall victory. A field of 13 Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) cars will run for that class victory.

The popular GT Daytona and GT Daytona Pro classes feature cars that look similar to their showroom counterparts. Mechanically, the two GTD classes are identical. The differentiating factor is the number of Pro level drivers allowed on each team, with IMSA limiting participation to one “pro” driver on GTD teams.

Broadcast coverage will start on Jan. 27 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (EST) on NBC and Peacock. From that point until 8 p.m., coverage will move to Peacock and USA, then Peacock and IMSA.TV from 8 to 10 p.m.

Coverage will return to USA and Peacock from 10 p.m. to midnight, then back to Peacock and IMSA.TV until 6 a.m. on Jan. 28. From 6 a.m. to noon, coverage will return to USA before transitioning a final time to NBC for the last two hours of the race.