DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Ford Performance NASCAR Cup driver Austin Cindric has been selected to the Ford Multimatic Motorsports lineup for the IMSA-sanctioned Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Cindric will substitute for endurance driver Ben Barker, who broke his collarbone while skiing during the holidays. He will join the full season pairing of Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx 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. This will be my sixth opportunity to run this race, and with the Ford Mustang GT3, its one of the best opportunities Ill have had at taking one of those watches home.

Its important that I wish Ben all the best in his recovery as I get to keep his seat warm. Im 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 Mooresville, N.C. native is a multi-race winning driver in the premier NASCAR Cup series, including the 2022 Daytona 500 in a Team Penske Mustang.

We have great momentum moving into the season opening round at Daytona, offered Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. It is a difficult situation with Bens 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 a career in stock car racing, Cindric competed in major sports car racing series across North America. He proved his talent as a Ford development driver in Mustang GT4 which has       included four Michelin Pilot Challenge appearances with Multimatic Motorsports at Daytona, and a 2019 race win alongside Priaulx at Road Atlanta.

In 2025, itll 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. Im grateful to get the nod, and Im looking forward to getting to work soon.

It is 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 Pascal Zurlinden, Executive Vice President, Multimatic Engineering & Special Vehicle Operations. Were 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.