DAYTONA BEACH — Austin Cindric and Robert Noaker put on quite a show.
That was the theme of the night anyway, as Ford launched its inaugural Veterans Day Classic at Daytona International Speedway. It featured musical performances by Zac Brown Band, Jo Dee Messina and others before a 30-minute race on the road course, all in the name of honoring our nation’s armed forces.
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In the end, Cindric emerged from a back-and-forth battle with Noaker for the win.
“That’s an awesome way to end off Veterans Day,” said Cindric, who was one of two drivers on the team representing the U.S Air Force. “This has been an amazing event. Had a ton of fun racing Robert there. He’s definitely the future in these kinds of cars (Mustangs).
“Just thankful for all our service men and women that make things like this possible. Hopefully those families that were here tonight and watched at home were able to take away a lot of the fun and joy but also see how much myself and everyone at Ford Racing really, truly appreciates everything that our veterans do.”
Austin Cindric celebrates after winning the Veterans Day Classic race on Nov. 11, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway.
Cindric laid down the fastest qualifying time and began in pole position. But Noaker overtook him on the first lap.
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The 22-year-old wasn’t even scheduled to participate in the event until the day before.
As a Ford Racing development driver and two-time IMSA Mustang Challenge North America champ, he was in town to help the competitors adapt to the cars. He was eating breakfast at Waffle House when he received a phone call and learned Ryan Blaney would have to sit out the race after a Monday fall. Blaney needed a substitute.
“You always show up to the racetrack with your gear just in case something happens,” Noaker said.
He held the lead for the first 20 minutes, as he and Cindric sprinted away from the rest of the 12-car field.
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Cindric passed him with nine minutes remaining. They traded positions a couple more times before Cindric took the checkered flag by less than a second.
“It was a blast to race Austin,” said Noaker, who drove for the Marine Corps team. “I knew he was going to race clean. He probably knew I was going to race clean. So much fun to race that close and not have any contact and put on a great show for all the veterans here tonight.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Austin Cindric beats Robert Noaker in Ford Veterans Day Classic race at Daytona
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