It’s been a great few weeks for Roger Penske. He realized his two-decade dream of having IndyCars race on the streets of Washington, D.C., with the successful Freedom 250 Grand Prix. In the NASCAR Cup Series, all three of his drivers found form at the right moment, as they head into the Chase looking to add to Team Penske’s trophy collection. However, just a few months ago, things weren’t nearly as merry in the camp, as “The Captain” admitted.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“I think Joey was at a point there midseason where he was a little bit confused about what he should run, with Blaney running so well, and he took his hat off to Ryan for sure,” Roger Penske said in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Penske was referring to the stretch when Logano, for all intents and purposes, looked completely lost and out of Chase contention. He was 20th in the standings in June following a 24th-place finish at Sonoma. He was winless after 18 races and 31 points below the Chase cutline. And it wasn’t just him, as all the Ford drivers seemed to be struggling.
There were organizational changes at Ford, and they had fewer cars in the Cup Series garage. Rick Ware Racing and Haas Factory Team had switched to Chevrolet, leaving Ford with less data to build on as they looked to improve the cars’ aero package. The only driver who looked like he had things under control was the No. 12 driver Ryan Blaney, who had won in Phoenix back in March. Everything changed in North Wilkesboro.
Joey Logano dominated to win his first race of the 2026 season, marking the moment when fortunes began to change for Penske and his drivers. As Blaney’s crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, revealed, they focused on mechanical grip and chassis balance rather than continuing to chase improvements in the aero package, which had left them struggling in dirty air.
From there, Logano put together a strong run of results, including a win at Richmond. Blaney followed with another victory in New Hampshire, while Austin Cindric, who had been flirting with the cutline, secured a third-place finish at Richmond to all but lock himself into the Chase.
“I think we’ve got a better handle on the car. You know, time is money, and I think that was really critical. And to me, you know, we go into this every single year with a positive approach and our best stuff. So, you know, we continue to polish the cars we’re going to run in this, obviously, in this championship run,” Penske continued in the same interview.
There were others in the organization rattled by the slow start to the season, too. The alarm bells were not ringing loudly, because Logano’s No. 22 team was used to making late-season comebacks. But his crew chief, Paul Wolfe, told journalist Tim Moore in Richmond that they were starting to “question themselves”. Blaney, meanwhile, was always sure that his teammate would bounce back and that Wolfe and Co. would figure the problem out.
Just like Penske revealed that Logano always “took his hat off” to Blaney, the No. 12 driver always had the utmost respect for him. “They’re going to be someone you have to race with for sure, and it is no surprise to me they have been back to form here the last month or so,” Blaney haid said.
Blaney ultimately ended the regular season as the No. 2 seed, with Logano ninth and Austin Cindric 15th. Penske feels the team now has a much better grasp of how to set up and optimize the cars, putting them in a strong position heading into the Chase. They’ve looked particularly strong on short tracks, and with Bristol and Martinsville on the schedule, there’s now a sense of optimism in the camp rather than confusion.