NASCAR champion Austin Cindric will substitute for injured Ben Barker in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 at the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona. Barker suffered a broken collarbone during a holiday skiing accident.

Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 winner, will team up with Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx for his sixth Rolex 24 appearance. His best finish in the event was fifth in class, achieved in 2019 and 2022 with different teams.

The 26-year-old brings significant racing experience, including:

• Two NASCAR Cup Series victories
• 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
• Previous wins in Michelin Pilot Challenge, including a victory with Priaulx at Road Atlanta
• A decade-long relationship with Ford and Multimatic, starting at age 16

"The 24 Hours of Daytona has become a very meaningful event for me and my career," said Cindric. "With the Ford Mustang GT3, it's one of the best opportunities I'll have had at taking one of those watches home."

Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, praised Cindric's versatility and proven success with Mustang in both NASCAR and sports cars. Pascal Zurlinden, Executive VP of Multimatic Engineering, confirmed that Barker is recovering well and will return to action soon.

For Cindric, this opportunity marks a full circle moment, exactly 10 years after his first Daytona race with Multimatic and Ford in Michelin Pilot Challenge.

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