Team Penske had a quiet summer this season. Many analysts were uncertain whether Team Penske would stage their customary mid-season recovery. The Ford Mustangs had struggled miserably, and it was unclear whether the team would find its way out of the mess in time for the playoffs. In August, however, all doubts disappeared with some great runs at Richmond and Daytona. 

At Richmond, the three Team Penske drivers ended up finishing third (Blaney), fourth (Joey Logano), and fifth (Austin Cindric), respectively. The real difference-maker was Daytona, where, though Logano faced a setback getting stuck in the infield grass and finishing 27th, it was the pole sitter Blaney who steered through the mid-pack to seal the win in the final lap over Daniel Suarez. And now, the turnaround has won public praise from Team Penske President Michael Nelson, who has been rather vocal about the team and their latest winner.

Team Penske’s president gets honest on team’s performance

Blaney’s performance proved a major factor in ending the team’s dry spell. Even with just one win prior to Daytona, he has been consistently fast all year. He entered the playoffs with five straight top-10 finishes. About the significant victory, Team President Michael Nelson said, “We needed a win… I don’t think it really speaks to our performance, though. I mean, we’ve been there quite a few times here and been really close and had something happen.” He added, “He’s had speed and been competitive and been in contention quite a few times all year long. And so, no, it is great to finish it off.”

Nelson stressed that the lack of wins didn’t mean the team lacked speed or competitiveness, as Blaney had often been in contention but was pushed back by accidents or bad luck. With seven DNFs this season, the bad luck is real. At Homestead-Miami, Blaney dominated the race, leading a race-high 124 laps, only to suffer a late-stage engine failure. Similarly, at Talladega, Blaney had a good was caught in a multi-car pileup, which marked his fourth DNF. “Another DNF — it just sucks,” Blaney said.

Hence, one thing’s clear. Speed was certainly not the problem for Team Penske, especially when we talk about Blaney. He finally saw his consistency reward him in Daytona as he stands fourth in the playoff structure, with just three points behind Denny Hamlin. “It’s cool to win here again. I won here a few years ago, and nice to be back,” said Blaney post the race, referring to his 2021 win in August at the tri-oval. Joey Logano’s recent finishes at Richmond, Iowa, and Sonoma have also boosted the hopes of Team Penske heading into the postseason.

A late-season surge has always been Team Penske’s signature move, and their back-to-back title runs in 2022, 2023, and 2024 prove just how lethal that finishing kick can be. And this Daytona triumph was not just a win on paper but a much-needed morale boost for Penske and Ford heading into the playoffs.

And though Blaney’s win is grabbing everyone’s attention, it has also particularly touched Denny Hamlin, who recently chose to decode it.

Denny Hamlin decodes the secret behind Blaney’s victory 

The final regular-season race of the NASCAR Cup Series delivered an unexpected winner. Many pundits and fans felt a driver on the playoff bubble would secure a clutch, last-ditch victory to punch their ticket to the postseason. But in a thrilling four-wide battle, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney dashed those hopes with a last-lap victory in the Coke 400.

According to Denny Hamlin, who discussed the race on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Blaney’s victory was a masterclass in patience. “He was masterful in being patient,” Hamlin explained. “What I saw was he was very patient, and if you notice, he didn’t make a whole lot of moves. He allowed others to make moves, and then he just held steady.”

Blaney’s tactic of sitting calmly while the other rivals fought to the win paid off. Gleaning through the traffic from Custer and Justin Haley, he worked to keep Daniel Suarez behind him. While other drivers tried to desperately block and switch lanes, he concentrated on keeping his car on the line and got the advantage through their aggression. It’s all in poise and experience, which has been building up over the years, Denny noted.

Now we shall see all the qualified drivers go head-to-head in the playoffs starting from the Darlington race next Sunday.