Jonathan Hassler will go down in an elite list of longest-serving NASCAR crew members. Joining Team Penske in 2008, he stayed with the racing outfit through its toughest years and has now captained its #12 team to a Cup Series championship. When Hassler joined the ranks of Roger Penske, it was as a young race engineer from Purdue University. He came through an era where it was the dream of any crew member or chief to be a part of the legendary team of Rick Hendrick. But Hassler even today believes that Team Penske alone is the top team in the world of motorsports.

Jonathan Hassler displays his loyalty to Roger Penske by snubbing HMS

Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR with 301 victory lane visits in the Cup Series. Beginning in 1984, the team has won 14 car owner championships, a number above any other team on the field. While Team Penske’s numbers wane in comparison to those of the juggernaut that Rick Hendrick’s team is, Jonathan Hassler still believes that his own team is the best ever.

Talking on SiriusXM’s NASCAR radio, the 2023 championship-winning crew chief was asked about his time with Roger Penske and what it meant to win the championship for him. The question went, “You have been there since 2008. You understand Team Penske, you ‘are’ Team Penske. What is it like to be able to deliver something and be the first to be able to do it back-to-back for Roger?”

Hassler responded, “To be able to add to Roger’s history is incredible. It’s the top team in motorsports. To be able, to continue to build on that is… I am super proud of having the opportunity to do that for the best team in all of motorsports.“

Though Team Penske operates in more fields than that of NASCAR, they have just four Cup Series championships in comparison to Hendrick Motorsports’ 14. As incongruent as Hassler’s words are with the stat books, they are to be taken as words of loyalty to the team that he has served for over a decade and a half.

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Even for a world-renowned sports giant like Roger Penske, it is not every day that a new achievement is unlocked. But Ryan Blaney’s championship win at Phoenix did so. Courtesy of it, Team Penske joined an elite list that included Hendrick Motorsports as the only teams to win back-to-back championships in the Cup Series. Though he still has some way to go to reach Rick Hendrick’s number, Roger Penske is certainly one step ahead than he was before the final race of 2023.

Talking about the same during the post-race conference in Phoenix, Penske said, “Well, we’ve had a lot of championships, but the level that we’re racing in NASCAR today, I’ve never seen it before. My great friend Rick Hendrick, I think he has 15 to 16. We’re excited to have four. Long way to go.” With the likes of Ryan Blaney and Jonathan Hassler in his garage, he certainly has the right people for the job.

For now, however, Hendrick Motorsports is the clear apex. NBC’s recent release of the NASCAR power rankings underlines the same. Hendrick Motorsports took the top spot once again with two drivers in the Championship 4 and the most wins in the series. Team Penske found its spot in 3rd position, courtesy of Blaney’s championship. But the real challenge is: Can they pass HMS in the power rankings anytime soon?

Roger Penske Reveals His Inferiority to Rick Hendrick as He Claims Team Penske Has a “Long Way to Go”