“Welcome back Dale Earnhardt”: Penske’s Austin Cindric redeploys hilarious fan reactions to his ‘new year, new me’ look on IG

Fans reminisced about a look from Dale Earnhardt after Austin Cindric shared his new look heading into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. A few comments that he reshared on his Instagram story drew comparisons with various drivers, including Earnhardt Sr.

Team Penske driver Cindric recently revealed his look for 2025. Featuring a bold mustache with round glasses, he looked to be going back in time with his fashion.

"New year, new me," he wrote on his Instagram.

Cindric shares his new look ahead of the 2025 season (@austincindric on Instagram)

A thick mustache like this one was common with drivers in the early years of racing, however, Dale Earnhardt's style became iconic over the years. As Cindric posted his picture, fans were quick to notice this. One of the comments that he reshared on his Instagram story mentioned that he looked like Earnhardt Sr.

"Close enough welcome back Dale Earnhardt," a fan wrote.

A user's comment on Cindric's new style

Another user compared him with Ryan Blaney, which Cindric claimed to be the "greatest compliment a man could receive."

"Bro is in his Ryan Blaney era," the comment read.

A fan compares Austin Cindric to Ryan Blaney

He also posted the picture on X, which gained quite some traction on the platform. There were users there who compared him with Earnhardt as well.

"I see no difference," posted one user.

"we have Dale at home," wrote another fan.

Some of the comments also claimed that Cindric would have a strong season this year.

"I’m calling it, 2025 Cup Champ," a user claimed.

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Austin Cindric to join Ford to race at Daytona for the Rolex 24

Ford Multimatic Motorsports recently announced that Austin Cindric will pilot their #64 GT3 during the upcoming 24 Hours of Daytona. Their driver, Ben Barker, recently suffered from a broken collarbone after a skiing incident.

This is the sixth time Cindric will be participating in the race. He said it is a very "meaningful" event in his career now.

"The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career...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," Austin Cindric said in a press release.

In his previous appearances, Cindric has marked a best finish of fifth place in the endurance event twice -- once with Vasser Sullivan in 2019 and again with Proton USA in 2022.