Ever since the Next Gen car rolled out, Team Penske seems to have cracked the code to be successful with it. They aren’t necessarily the strongest team when the season starts, but mid-way through the season, the trends shift and they take over. Call it playing by the book with the format or strategically positioning themselves for the big races, they’ve done well. But in 2025, they are on a roll, and once again, Hendrick Motorsports and JGR are playing catch-up.
The evidence is stacking up. Ryan Balney’s win at Nashville did not just mark another checkered flag for Team Penske but also a turning point in the Series. Finally, Blaney got his deserved win after overcoming DNFs and engine failure. Interestingly, he was the only Penske driver left to bag a win this year, and with the Nashville triumph, all four Penske drivers are in the playoffs. Although William Byron is leading the points tally right now, Team Penske is playing the long game. And this point was highlighted by Kevin Harvick, who could see the patterns of the last few years repeat.
In a recent episode of Kevin Harvick’s podcast “Happy Hour,” along with Mamba Smith and Kaitlyn Vincie, Harvick made a surprising revelation about Team Penske after the Nashville Cup Series race. “Does it not feel like an instant replay of the last couple seasons?” said Harvick. “It just seems like the same trend for last couple of years. Hendrick and Gibbs start off strong, and then Penske comes on about this time of the year, and then trails to the end of the year.”
HMS were leading the charge, with William Byron scoring the win at the Daytona 500. And then Christopher Bell bagged a three-peat, the first in the Gen 7 era, followed by a double that came from his teammate Denny Hamlin. Then, with 7-8 races in the season, it looked like Penske cars were trailing, and were no good, until Josh Berry kicked off the run at Las Vegas, and since then, they’ve only progressed each step of the way. Kyle Larson, who started the month of May on a high, has nowhere been in contention at the Coca-Cola 600 and the Nashville race.
“When you look at the Gibbs cars, they had a couple of the best cars this weekend, qualified on the pole, all of them had some issues with the breaks and Denny manages to finish 3rd with no air conditioning, break problems, all the things that they had going on during the race,” Harvick noted. “But the Hendrick cars, really it was just William Byron and it just seems like it’s the same trend for the last couple of years. Hendrick and Gibbs start off strong and then Penske comes on about this time of year and then that trails till the end of the year.” While HMS has Byron has been doing well, only Team Penske has managed to gain that numerical advantage for the post-season.
Kansas City, Kansas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) leads Joey Logano (22) and Ryan Blaney (12) and Brad Keselowski (2) during the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Another factor that now plays to the Penske Ford’s strength is that they can compete for stage wins, collect those playoff points. On the other hand, their rivals, HMS and JGR, are desperately trying to get their star drivers like Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Alex Bowman in the playoffs. As it turns out, the driver of the #12 car was racing for more than just his spot in the playoff or a win, he was looking to make a statement.
Blaney rises as Penske silences critics in Nashville
The win for Ryan Blaney couldn’t have come at a more crucial moment for himself, the #12 team, and for Roger Penske. In the aftermath of the Indy 500 attenuator scandal, which led to the firing of three high-ranking figures, including longtime executive Tim Cindric, Team Penske has faced immense scrutiny across both NASCAR and IndyCar. The narrative had begun to sour, especially after Penske’s cars underperformed at Charlotte last week.
Blaney acknowledged the internal pressure, saying, “You know, I hated it for those folks over there, you know, last week in Indy… The people who got let go were really prominent figures in the company, and it definitely stunk… RP told us all, ‘Things happen and we’ve done things about them and we’re going to move forward.’” It wasn’t just about winning a race anymore, but about restoring pride and proving that the organization still had championship caliber left in them.
Blaney, who had five Top-5 finishes but also five DNFs heading into Nashville, delivered a near-perfect race. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s 2-tire pit stop strategy and sharp race management allowed Blaney to control track position and weather late pressure, especially in a thrilling Stage 2 battle with Denny Hamlin and William Byron. Teammate Joey Lognao also came through, finishing P4 and adding vital points. Blaney summed up the team’s vindication by saying, “We had to hear all week that Penske cars are bad because the IndyCar guys got caught… then we come here tonight and kick everyone’s a–.”
The victory was a turning point for the team, and now that they’ve got their bases secured, they will look to build momentum for the playoffs, and try to bag a 4th Cup Series title in a row.
The post “Feels Like an Instant Replay”: Kevin Harvick in Deja Vu as Roger Penske Threatens 4th Championship Signs appeared first on EssentiallySports.