Getty Discount Tire will return to Team Penske for the 2022 season.
A key sponsor of Team Penske has confirmed its return for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Discount Tire has announced sponsorship plans for both Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney.
The tire distributor announced the news on Friday, December 10, by tweeting out a photo of Cindric and a clean-shaven Blaney in Discount Tire firesuits. The company confirmed that it will sponsor the No. 2 Ford Mustang for a total of 13 races as Cindric fights for Rookie of the Year honors. Discount Tire will also hold the primary sponsor position on Blaney’s No. 12 for two playoff races.
Hey, race fans! We are excited to announce our continued sponsorship with @Team_Penske. Find out what’s coming in 2022 here 👉 t.co/SJRtHiQAIO #nascar #teampenske #ryanblaney #austincindric #fordmustang
This news marks a significant change in Discount Tires’ Cup Series partnership. The company served as the primary for Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Ford at 13 races on the 2021 schedule. Now the deal will move to Cindric as he makes his rookie debut while also expanding to the veteran in Blaney.
Discount Tire did not reveal the schemes that Blaney and Cindric will run during the 2022 season. The company said that the car scheme is “coming soon.” Though it will likely bear many similarities to past iterations.
Cindric Has Previously Worked With Discount Tire
GettyAustin Cindric (left) drives the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford.
While the 2022 season will mark the first time that Cindric runs a Discount Tire scheme in the Cup Series, it will not be his first partnership with the company. He and Discount Tire joined forces for several races during his Xfinity Series career.
Cindric first debuted the Discount Tire scheme on the No. 22 Ford during the 2017 season when he made one start. He drove the Team Penske entry at Road America on August 27 and finished 16th overall in his Xfinity Series debut.
Cindric continued working with Discount Tire during the 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons. His first full-time season featured three races with the brand on the No. 22 — Dover International Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway.
The No. 22 featured Discount Tire as the primary scheme for five more races in 2019 and one race in 2020, the season that he won the Xfinity Series championship. Cindric never reached Victory Lane with Discount Tire on the No. 22 Ford, but he posted third-place finishes at Texas Motor Speedway (2018) and Bristol Motor Speedway (2019, 2020).
Blaney Reached Victory Lane Multiple Times With Discount Tire
Like his new teammate in Cindric, Blaney also ran a multitude of races in the Xfinity Series with Discount Tire on the No. 22 Ford. This list includes six during a 2013 season in which Blaney only made 13 starts split between Team Penske and Tommy Baldwin Racing.
Blaney never ran a full-time season in the Xfinity Series, but he piled up seven wins in only 70 starts. His first career win — Kentucky in 2013 — featured Discount Tire on the No. 22, and then he brought the company back to Victory Lane in 2014 and 2015.
Blaney will now join forces with Discount Tire once again, fresh off of a career-best Cup Series season. He reached Victory Lane three times in 2021 in what was his first multi-win year, and he reached the Round of Eight for the third time in his career.
With the 2022 season roughly 70 days away, Blaney has two of his primary partners set. Discount Tire will join him for two playoff races while Menards will return to the No. 12 for a number of races that Team Penske will reveal at a later date. Menards will also serve as a primary partner of Cindric and Wood Brothers Racing’s Harrison Burton.