Austin Cindric makes feelings known about Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crucial ‘lending’ for the Darlington throwback weekend

Team Penske driver Austin Cindric recently thanked Dale Earnhardt Jr. for helping him with the livery of his No. 2 Ford Mustang for the NASCAR throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. Cindric is set to feature a blue and yellow paint scheme inspired by the #2 car Earnhardt Sr. drove in 1979 and 1980. To execute the scheme in perfection, Dale Jr. lent the original car to Cindric.

The original blue and yellow No. 2 car holds a legendary status in NASCAR. In 1979, driving for Rod Osterlund, Earnhardt Sr. earned the Rookie of the Year title and achieved the first victory of his career with the same car at Bristol Motor Speedway. The very next year, he won the first of his seven Cup Series titles with the car as well.

Austin Cindric thanked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and spoke of the honor of representing the iconic livery used by one of the legends of the sport and wrote (via X):

"Fun week seeing the shop get excited about this car. Appreciate @DaleJr lending us the real thing to make sure we got the details right. Gathered a good crowd during lunch, including a couple of guys that worked on those way back when. Excited to get behind the wheel tomorrow 🤘🏻"

Austin Cindric had a disapointing weekend last time around at Martinsville Speedway when he had to retire his car in the final stage (on lap 363) due to an electrical issue. The Penske driver currently sits in the 24th spot in the drivers’ standings with 122 points to his name.

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“I hope our car stands out,” Austin Cindric shares the goal behind his throwback livery

NASCAR: Auston Cindric running in the Ambetter Health 400 - Source: Imagn

The No. 2 car, once driven by Earnhardt Sr. and now with Austin Cindric behind the wheel, has a very rich history in the Cup Series. It has won 102 races overall and is tied at fourth place with the No. 3 car on the all-time wins list among car numbers.

In total, 108 drivers have driven the No. 2 car, and Earnhardt Sr. won six races with the blue and yellow paint scheme that Austin Cindric will showcase during the Throwback Weekend. Out of the 102 race victories for the #2, 81 of those have come with a Penske driver wheeling the car.

Cindric's throwback design was revealed on Tuesday at the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion, with Governor Henry McMaster and Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris in attendance. During the event, Cindric spoke (via Jayski.com) about what it means for him to drive the legendary paint scheme.

“There are few names in our sport more recognizable than Earnhardt,” Cindric remarked. “The opportunity to pay tribute to a legend, while also recognizing the incredible history of the No. 2 in NASCAR, was the goal behind this scheme.”

“We’ve had a lot of fun working through the details, and I hope our car stands out for fans at the track and those tuning in during Darlington Throwback Weekend,” he added.

The Goodyear 400 is scheduled to start at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, April 6.