Teammate tensions are a huge deal in motorsports. Especially when you are racing in a team that can produce world champions. That’s why when Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney first started racing for Team Penske, things weren’t as smooth as one would expect. In the latest episode of SPEED on FOX, Logano revealed what his path to becoming equals with Ryan Blaney looked like.

Joey Logano reveals the benchmark he set for Blaney

Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano compete equally for NASCAR championships today. But when Blaney first came to the team, he was a mere ‘rookie’ at Team Penske, while Logano was an established winner for many years. So it was natural that two drivers would face some tense moments together.

“Ryan and I never really butted heads too much, but we had a few tough conversations and we raced each other too hard a lot of times. And honestly, now that he’s established, he’s won a championship; he’s really, really fast.”

Ryan Blaney’s championship victory in 2023 proved that he was someone who could go toe to toe with Logano at Penske. Logano, who was already a two-time champion and the defending champion in 2023, couldn’t stop himself from praising Blaney’s skill and race craft after his title.

“We’ve all seen the amount of speed that he’s had his whole career, like just raw speed. The kid’s quick as can be. But it seemed like it took a minute for the racecrafting to meet the talent that he has. And really, I think in the last seven weeks, what he was able to put together was exceptional—really, really good.

“And he put them both together, and now I’ll tell you, he’s going to be tough to beat for a long time. Now that he’s got confidence on his side, he’s done it already. He’s going to be tough for a long time.”

The perfect example of the same was the Championship Race of the 2024 Cup Series. The Team Penske duo kept battling it out until the last laps. It was Logano who triumphed over Ryan Blaney, but he held his teammate in the highest regard.

That’s why today, Blaney is one of his inspirations and his closest associates in the team when it comes to improving his performance through healthy competition.

“Now we see each other as peers, and we want to work together because we know each one of us is making the other one better. We have strengths in completely different areas. So, we’re constantly studying ourselves and back and forth, and it’s been something that’s elevated my driving career a lot. But more importantly, Team Penske’s winning percentage has really helped a lot with that.”

Logano’s example was the perfect explanation of how things work out in NASCAR. As a rookie who is thrown into the action headfirst, you are supposed to figure out everything at an extreme pace. Something that William Byron regrets to this day.

But not only that, with winners like Logano on your team, you can’t go hard while racing and expect them to stay silent. So not only do you need to find your specialty and make your place on the team. You have to do it while respecting the veteran so that you don’t end up on their hit list.

It takes a lot of time to finally earn the same level of respect after spending multiple years with the team. Once that milestone is achieved, things start to fall into place for you. You get to work with the teammates and battle with them without ruffling feathers.

Not only that, once you prove yourself as a winner, the team actively chooses to help you stay on track. Take 23XI Racing, for example. Riley Herbst was the support driver for Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace for all races at the 2026 Daytona 500. It is because he is yet to earn the favor of the team in a similar manner with consistent success and results.

While Ryan Blaney is among the key members at Team Penske currently, it is not like he does not face a lot of pressure still.

Ryan Blaney recalls peer pressure from Josef Newgarden

Ryan Blaney is a highly successful driver at Phoenix Raceway. The track has given him multiple wins during his racing career, and he was the defending winner at the track after the 2025 Championship Race. For him, the desert sun is always a good sign. However, he had a lot riding on his shoulders at Phoenix.

“Josef put the pressure on us yesterday, and he let us know that at our Penske dinner last night. He said, ‘This weekend is going to be absolutely ruined if guys don’t do it on Sunday.’

“He put the pressure on, so I am so happy to do it today. It is always special to win for Roger, but on a weekend like this, where he put a lot into having these two series together… ”

Blaney’s situation with Newgarden is the exact reason why teams take a lot of time to assess their rookies. Once they reach a certain level, a lot is expected of them. And Blaney delivered on it excellently. Not only did he win at Phoenix, but he also did so by conquering two bad stops, which relegated him to the back of the grid.