HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Crew Penske is battling its personal Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome.
By way of Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the sixth race of the 2025 marketing campaign, no one has led extra laps than its trio of drivers — Joey Logano (247 laps led), Austin Cindric (159) and Ryan Blaney (148). All three rank inside the highest 5 in stage factors this season and sit throughout the prime 10 of the collection’ finest common working positions, in line with NASCAR’s loop information.
And but not one of the three have the constant outcomes to again up their obvious dominance within the races’ early and center parts. Cindric’s 17.5 common end is better of the bunch forward of Logano’s 18.8 and Blaney’s 21.5; Logano continues to be looking for his first prime 10 simply six races faraway from his 2024 Cup Sequence championship; and Blaney has failed to complete every of the final three races — two as a result of engine failure, which bit him once more at Homestead after main a race-high 124 laps and successful Stage 1.
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In consequence, Ryan Blaney is Crew Penske’s highest-ranking driver in factors at tenth, Logano eleventh and Cindric twenty first after a 50-point stemming from the March 2 occasion at Circuit of The Americas.
Travis Geisler, Crew Penske’s vp of competitors, weighs the great with the dangerous. However his disappointment was evident within the NASCAR Cup Sequence storage following Sunday’s race. Logano was the group’s finest finisher in 14th place, forward of Cindric in nineteenth; Blaney’s blown engine relegated him to a Thirty sixth-place end. Josh Berry’s No. 21 Wooden Brothers Racing Ford is constructed, assembled and supported by Crew Penske, however one week after incomes his first Cup win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a second-place qualifying effort at Homestead went for naught when he, Logano and Kyle Larson after the conclusion of Stage 1. Berry mustered a Seventeenth-place end.
“It’s clearly irritating to be in a state of affairs the place we’ve had actually good automobiles which can be able to successful each week and simply haven’t actually been capable of execute and get it accomplished,” Geisler informed NASCAR.com. “However I feel the secret is the method is working so far as what we’re bringing to the race observe. That’s the toughest a part of this sport, is discovering pace. And proper now, I feel all of the groups are doing that. We’ve simply acquired to execute on all the opposite aspects of the sport.”
Logano’s day was equally unraveled by the early pit-road contact. Whereas Logano’s lack of observe place after the incident was a hinderance, the crew’s preliminary tape utility to restore Logano’s right-front fender harm did them no favors, crew chief Paul Wolfe defined.
“After we had the harm, we lined over the hood flap,” Wolfe informed NASCAR.com. “In order that was why, once we have been making an attempt to get better from the difficulty on that green-flag cease, we needed to reduce it open. In order that’s how we misplaced the lap and all that. Simply stored snowballing for a minute. Luckily, the automotive was good on the lengthy haul, and we have been capable of get again into the (free go) spot because the leaders have been placing guys a lap down. We have been coming alongside there fairly good, after which from there, simply had a good automotive that we might salvage one thing out of it. Only a tough day.”
Wolfe has guided the No. 22 group to championships in two of the final three seasons, the lone exception coming in 2023 when Blaney soared to his first title. The finishes aren’t touchdown for Logano and Co. but, however Wolfe isn’t able to hit the panic button.
“I feel when you look again at the moment final yr, we didn’t have the pace or the outcomes. So I suppose the intense aspect of it’s we’ve pace,” Wolfe stated. “I feel how we ended the season final yr, we’ve been capable of come out of the gates this yr and nonetheless carry that pace that we have been capable of present on the finish of final season, so I feel that’s a optimistic. And now it’s simply persevering with to refine it.
“Talking for the 22 group particularly, there’s plenty of expertise right here, and we’ve proven how we’re capable of execute and do the issues we have to do. So it’s unlucky, however not likely any purpose to be involved. Optimistic about having the ability to have the pace and (it’s a) a lot better spot than what we have been beginning season final yr.”
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From the 30,000-foot perspective, nevertheless, Geisler is eager to easy out the early-season bumps earlier than later.
“Stuff on pit highway, you’ve simply acquired to return and assessment,” he stated. “Was there something we are able to do to keep away from it? What are the issues as our regular course of can we regulate and attempt to get ourselves the place we end the place we belong? That’s actually the important thing proper now. I feel we’d be in actually fine condition if we simply completed the place we belong.”
Blaney had by no means failed to complete three consecutive Cup races till Homestead marked the unlucky milestone. Earlier than the , Blaney’s final engine-related DNF was at Texas Motor Speedway in 2019 when he was sidelined for an overheating motor. Six years later, in two of the final three races, his engine has gone up in smoke. This time, on the frontstretch, leaving a cloud of smoke over the onlooking followers at Homestead-Miami.
Geisler stated the group will pore over information to make sure nothing on its or Blaney’s finish — like shifting, over-revving or overheating — contributed to the latest points, and he indicated no indicators of these have proven but.
“From there, you’ve simply acquired to lean on Roush Yates (Engines) and Ford to repair the issue,” Geisler stated. “We have now plenty of issues that we have to repair from this weekend, and we’ve acquired to outsource that one and let anyone else deal with it and have the belief that, over time, they’ve given us extremely dependable engines and actually have delivered for us. They usually’ve simply acquired to go the drafting board somewhat bit right here and work out what’s occurring. I feel it appears like a pair completely different modes of failure right here, I’d say. So perhaps there’s not essentially a transparent path, however that’s as much as them.”
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Within the meantime, ending on the entrance is a prime precedence for Crew Penske transferring ahead. Up subsequent is Martinsville Speedway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the place Blaney has received every of the final two fall races.
Maybe there shall be added fireplace fueled by the early frustration that may assist their outcomes higher mirror their efficiency.
“We’ve acquired to look internally at what we didn’t do effectively (Sunday),” Geisler stated. “We had three different automobiles, when you embody the 21, that ought to have been capable of run prime 10, and we didn’t get there with any of them. In order that’s our job. That’s what we’ll go deal with (Monday). Martinsville is one other stable place for us, so hopefully, we are able to go there and get issues rotated.”
