Amongst the Ford cars on the Cup Series grid, no driver has been as consistent as second-seeded driver Ryan Blaney in Team Penske’s No. 12 car. While Blaney has been consistent on track, one aspect is dragging him down is his pit crew.
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Blaney’s No. 12 pit crew ranked 32nd out of 35 in the pit crew rankings post Daytona. Knowing that Blaney is likely to be the top contender for title, Team Penske made a pit crew swap. And Austin Cindric found himself on the bitter end of this deal. The crew members from the No. 2 camp would move to No. 12, and Cindric didn’t have a say in this process.
“It’s understandable from the team’s perspective. I think at the end of the day, as Roger always reminds us, racing is still business,” said Cindric in conversation with Bob Pockrass. “And obviously Ryan and the 12 team have a great chance to win a championship. It’s also not something I necessarily have to like because at the end of the day.”
Cindric’s crew has been doing for him what Ryan Blaney lacked right through the season, and although Cindric is 95 points back from the leader Denny Hamlin, he believes he can end the season strongly despite the change to his team.
“Anybody that’s close with me knows I’m really close with the guys that I work with and my over-wall guys are no exception,” said Cindric. “And I definitely think there’s a level of interest, and we’ve gotten ourselves this far. We want to see it through. But at the same time, yeah, ready to go out and crush it for the next ten weeks with the team that we have. And I see no reason why we can’t.”
The change will see Blaney’s pit crew from Darlington onwards comprising jackman Jourdan Osinskie, fueler Andrew Lackey, front tire changer Justin Armwood, rear changer Geoffrey Wall and tire carrier Jesse Mills.
Cindric’s crew will now feature jackman Graham Stoddard, who himself joined as a replacement on Blaney’s team back in April, fueler Chris Conklin, front changer Keiston France, rear changer Justin Fox, and tire carrier Trevor Apsey.
Ryan Blaney has already seen a few changes to his pit crew this season, but he hopes this move to bring Austin Cindric’s over-the-wall crew to his side will help save the time he has consistently lost during stops.
Cindric himself was asked what he thinks his crew does best, and he said two words: “Pit stops,” but then he was asked to elaborate, and he did by praising how his crew has been consistent with quick changes over the past few years. And while he isn’t best pleased about losing his crew, Cindric does believe that the crew can help Blaney succeed.
“I think we’ve got great culture,” said Cindric. “I think just on the two-car generally we have great culture, and I see no reason why that can’t be transferable from team to team, and in person to person, from a personnel side, I’m very proud of that.”
While it’s Blaney who gets the best end of this swap, he admitted that it wasn’t his decision and the call for the change came from above him. But what Blaney highlighted was the positive light it puts on Team Penske as an organization to be able to move things around in order to maximize results.
According to NASCAR Insights, Blaney has lost a net 129 positions on pit road during 26 regular-season races. Loose tires, slow stops, and a lot more have plagued Blaney’s season on pit road.
But there are a few familiar faces returning. Blaney has previously worked with Andrew Lackey, who was his fueler back in 2019 in the Truck Series. He’s also worked with Jackman Jourdan Osinskie.
“A few of them I have a decent amount of experience with throughout my years, and then a couple of them it’s nice to get to learn new guys,” said Blaney before he added that the change gives Team Penske “The best chance to win the championship.”
Blaney is hunting for his 2nd Cup Series title, and 25 points separate him from Denny Hamlin. Can the crew change be the catalyst in his search for the second crown?