When the wrecks keep coming and the wins stay missing, most drivers start counting down to next season. Not Joey Logano. The 35-year-old isn’t ready to fold; he’s betting on one last miracle run to the playoffs, even as Team Penske’s season teeters on disaster. The team’s 2025 campaign has been nothing short of chaotic, defined more by damage reports than top-10 finishes. Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Cindric have all endured a string of race-altering incidents.
The three-time Cup Series champion’s season opened with a massive wreck at the Daytona 500 after leading 43 laps, then spiraled through a disqualification at Talladega, a hard crash at Phoenix, and wheel issues at Kansas. Meanwhile, Blaney has tallied six DNFs, four due to crashes, and Cindric saw his Kansas race derailed by a loose wheel just laps into the event. All three Penske Cup drivers were swept into a destructive 20+ car crash in Atlanta during the In-Season Challenge.
Wrecks, woes, and one last shot: Joey Logano’s high-stakes gamble
In a year where Team Penske’s headlines have been soaked in setbacks, one question now looms: Can they still win? For Joey Logano, the answer is an unwavering yes. The defending Cup Series champion remains confident. Not because the stats favor him, but because he’s walked this tightrope before. With time running out, Logano is betting on momentum, team chemistry, and sheer will to pull off what would be another late-season shocker.
Joey Logano didn’t flinch when laying out the reality on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. With four races left before the playoff reset, he acknowledged the uphill climb bluntly: “Unless you go win the next four, from a playoff standpoint, we’re going to be behind.” But in typical Logano fashion, that statement came not as surrender, but as a setup for defiance. “As long as you’re still in it, you’ve got a chance.” Despite the wrecks, disqualifications, and mechanical issues, Logano sees a window and he’s not ready to close it.
“I feel like there’s a lot of positives right now around the 22 from a speed perspective.”
While the finishes might not be there, @JoeyLogano is still confident in his team heading into the playoffs.
Full #BehindTheWheel –> https://t.co/keYsFmunJW pic.twitter.com/or8DayHXoL
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) July 31, 2025
One of the biggest confidence boosters came from a track that’s haunted the No. 22 team for years: Dover. Known as Logano’s Achilles heel, Monster Mile became a subtle turning point this year. “We weren’t great. We weren’t going to win the race. But we ran in the top six to ten and that’s way better than last year.” It’s those kinds of performances, even if they don’t grab headlines, that are fueling Logano’s belief that his team is peaking at the right time, not falling apart.
At Indianapolis, the No. 22 was positioned to win before a recurring tire issue took them out of contention. Still, Logano saw more than failure. “We had better speed than we had last year,” he emphasized, making it clear that the No. 22’s pace isn’t the problem it’s execution and misfortune. When zoomed out, he admits the results don’t sparkle. But to him, the signs are unmistakable: “If you’re within the team, you can see some real positives going on right now.” And it’s those signs that keep him believing because he’s pulled this off before, and he’s convinced he can do it again.
Even IndyCar isn’t safe from the Penske curse
The misfortune that’s plagued Team Penske in NASCAR hasn’t spared their IndyCar squad either. During Indianapolis 500 practice, Scott McLaughlin suffered a catastrophic crash in Turn 2. His car went airborne and slammed into the wall at high speed, obliterating the chassis and ending his bid for pole position before qualifying even began. Despite being unhurt, McLaughlin later said he felt regret and heartbreak over pushing the limits too far, calling it “by far the worst moment of my life.” Team Penske confirmed he would start 12th after switching to a backup car instead of attempting a second qualifying run.
On top of that, in dramatic fashion, Josef Newgarden and Will Power were disqualified from Fast 12 qualifying after officials discovered illegal modifications to their rear attenuators, costing them optimal starting spots, pits, and penalties. Team president Tim Cindric called the episode “a painful but necessary wake-up call,” while Roger Penske dismissed three senior officials to preserve team integrity. Across series boundaries, the pattern is unmistakable: Penske builds dominant speed only to have success swept away by crashes, rules violations, or mechanical gremlins.
Even in a season clouded by crashes and missed chances, Joey Logano refuses to give up. His belief in Team Penske’s potential remains firm, even as bad luck haunts them across NASCAR and IndyCar. Logano knows the odds are steep, but he’s been here before and come out on top. As long as the 22 is still in the fight, he’s holding on to the hope of one more Cinderella run.
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