Penske drivers are notorious for turning the heat up in the post-season. Look at Joey Logano’s last year’s championship win, just a single race win at Nashville, a lucky break at Charlotte Roval, and he found the right rhythm during the crucial playoff races. While a section of fans labeled him as the undeserving champion, the #22 team played by the book and got the job done. So, if there’s a blueprint for success in the Next Gen era, it is to start late and ensure you book your playoff ticket with a win in the regular season.
But something strange is happening this year. Austin Cindric opened the account for Team Penske in Talladega with a win, and the very next week, Joey Logano added another win on the board. It was the most Logano-type win that came after 12 cautions and an overtime finish. Heading into the Texas weekend, Logano had a single top 10 result in 10 races this season, and no one expected him to win. Especially after the radio rant and the disqualification at Talladega.
Yet, there’s something bigger at play with how Team Penske drivers are approaching this season. And it’s caught Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte’s attention.
Jeff Burton identifies a new trend within the Penske group
This season, the big brother Ford team has been consistently quick, and their efforts bore fruit, thanks to Cindric and Logano. Heck, if it wasn’t for a streak of DNFs for Ryan Blaney along with the engine troubles, he would have at least a couple of wins this year. And the early-season momentum isn’t something Team Penske is known for. So what’s changed this year, and will this affect their usual approach in the playoffs this year?
“Yeah, I’m never surprised at Joey Logano wins. They just find a way to do it. The Penske cars on mile and a halves, it’d be hard-pressed to say they’re not the fastest on mile and a halves. You look at the affiliation, look at what the #21 has been doing with Josh Berry on the mile and a half. Won Vegas, came here leading the race, spins out. The #2 car running in the front, he led laps, won a stage. Blaney and Logano, took them a while to get through the pack. They didn’t just drive from the back to the front. It took them all day to get there, but when they got there and got clean air, they were flying.” Jeff Burton shared during the post-race NASCAR show.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Qualifying Feb 12, 2025 Daytona Beach, Florida, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano 22 during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xPeterxCaseyx 20250212_pjc_bc1_174
“I thought all the Penske cars are really, really good, they’re really fast, and it showed up. The question is, are they going to be right at the right time? That’s what’s been so special about Penske the last few years. This time of the year, they’re running better now than they have, in my opinion. The #22 has been the real question. No Top 5s until today, that hasn’t been a stereotypical year for them.” Burton added.
There was a time when Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas were running the show. Christopher Bell even bagged three consecutive race wins, something which wasn’t done in the Next Gen era. His teammate, Denny Hamlin, followed up with two wins to his name, leading everyone to wonder when Team Penske will respond. The first one came through the Wood Brothers Racing and Josh Berry, and now, they are back on track after the Texas race weekend.
Things could’ve turned out differently for Blaney at Texas, but he just couldn’t make the right choices as Logano did. It was yet another race where he came oh so close, but had to settle for the result he got on the day.
Blaney takes the blame for the missed opportunity
Restarts changed the whole outcome of the race in Texas. With 50 laps to go, the race was mired in cautions and restarts. If the race had to go green, the likes of Kyle Larson or Tyler Reddick would’ve won the race, they were the class of the field on the long runs. But, things didn’t turn out in their favor, in fact, there was a time when Michael McDowell was in charge of the race with 15 to go, and this is where Blaney had his opportunity to make his move.
Reflecting on his day and missed opportunities, the driver of the #12 car said, “The one time I didn’t pick the outside lane, the 71 got the lead and then I couldn’t get it back. Just driver making dumb decisions and not doing his job… The 12 car was a fast car today. I just can’t do anything right currently. Hopefully it will work itself out.”
The good news for Blaney and the #12 team is that he ended with a top 5 finish, which was his third in the last four races. Despite not being able to snag a win, he currently sits seventh in the points table, well above the cut-off line.
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