Team Penske driver, Ryan Blaney, will be without his crew chief Jonathan Hassler for the GEICO 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway. Hassler is on the baby watch for this weekend, thus forcing the team to make changes to their current set-up. Engineer Tony Palmer will be taking up the lead role in guiding the No. 12 team for the race.

Hassler played a key role in Blaney’s championship-winning season last year. Moreover, the duo even clinched the victory in the fall race last season at Talladega, so his absence will be felt in the Penske camp. The defending champion has made a solid start to this season but is still in search of his first win.

Blaney provides an update on Hassler’s return

Hassler and his family were blessed with a baby daughter earlier this week. According to Blaney, he is expected to return before the main event on Sunday and take over the team’s command center. The absence of a crew chief ahead of the race is a big miss, but Blaney is feeling confident in the combination of Palmer and Geisler.

“Tony is great. Obviously, he works with Jonathan every single weekend and through the week, and obviously, with Travis Geisler being the competition director and ex-crew chief, he knows everything. Comfortable, really comfortable with those guys. Happy Jonathan can be there for the birth of his daughter, and enjoy his time at home and take that all in,” Blaney said via Speedway Digest.

Also, Hassler didn’t leave his driver and the team stranded, as he had already laid down the strategy and the preparation. Moreover, he will be in constant touch with the team during the qualifying rounds and further for the prep ahead of the race. “Yeah, he was involved in everything, and he’s calling in for the race. So, he’ll be in those guys’ ears. But yeah, involved in prep, like normal, he’s just not here,” Blaney explained.

Although the defending champion is off to a good start this season, there’s a sense of urgency growing in the Penske camp regarding their first win.

“It’s not a must-win,” says the Penske star

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Team Penske has always banked on their two superstar drivers, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, for success. Out of the two, the latter is the best shot for the organization to get back to winning ways. In a press briefing ahead of the qualifying, Blaney was asked about his performance in the season so far, along with the expectations of delivering a win at Talladega.

“It would be nice obviously, and it would give a good shot of life for sure since a Ford hasn’t won this year. But I just think you’ve got to stick to your normal plan. Hey, we’re pretty good at these things. Let’s try to do our job and see if we can go one in the victory lane. But it’s not a must-win, I don’t think so,” Blaney said.

It sure will be a daunting task for Ryan Blaney to contend for a win at Talladega as he starts the race from the 21st position, after the sub-par qualifying run.