Workforce Penske, which has received the previous three Cup championships, is with out a victory this yr because the collection heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the tenth race of the season.
This marks the second yr in a row that Workforce Penske is not going to have scored its first Cup win of the season earlier than no less than the tenth race of the yr. Final season, Workforce Penske’s first Cup victory got here within the fifteenth race of the yr when Austin Cindric received at Gateway.
Ryan Blaney enters this weekend sixth within the factors, finest among the many Penske drivers. Joey Logano is ninth and Cindric is twenty second. The three drivers have mixed to guide 54.6% of the laps at drafting tracks (Daytona and Atlanta) this season.
“Actually we’ve lacked execution,” Travis Geisler, Workforce Penske vp of competitors, advised NBC Sports activities after the Bristol race earlier this month. “I feel (Blaney’s) group has been able to successful a good variety of races right here and we simply haven’t executed. We’ve had some points exterior of our management, a few of them in our management, and we simply have to scrub all of that up.
“I really really feel like that is most likely the quickest we’ve began a season shortly. In case you take a look at a lot of the races, we’ve had a very good shot. Other than (Bristol) and COTA, we most likely may have received any of the races. I feel that’s what you’ve received to give attention to, and I feel we’ve executed job of popping out just a little stronger, which is a part of the objective to have the ability to get some bonus factors. We simply haven’t executed to get it executed (in successful).”
Blaney has a series-best 92 stage factors. Logano ranks fifth within the collection with 70 stage factors. Cindric is eighth within the collection with 57 stage factors.
Former Xfinity champion Randy LaJoie joins Kurt Busch as a first-time Corridor of Fame nominee.
Blaney had the dominant automobile at Homestead, main 124 of the primary 161 laps earlier than his engine blew — one in all two blown engines he’s had this yr. At Darlington, Blaney led coming to pit highway earlier than the extra time restart however exited fourth. He completed that race fifth.
Blaney’s group has a brand new entrance tire changer listed on its roster for this weekend’s race at Talladega. Keiston Worth is listed as the brand new entrance tire changer, changing Ryan Flores, who takes Worth’s spot with the No. 38 automobile of Zane Smith.
Jesse Love had his win taken away after his automobile failed post-race inspection.
As for the way the groups of Cindric and Logano have executed this season, Geisler mentioned: “I feel (Cindric’s) group is doing what they should be doing proper now. I feel these guys are in an honest spot and form of attempting to determine the way to be there each week. I feel there are particular tracks the place they’ve been sturdy after which there’s been some the place they’ve been fairly weak. I feel they’re beginning to steadiness that out just a little bit now and attending to be just a little extra even-keeled, which is a objective for any form of new group.
“Clearly (Logano’s group) wants to provide just a little bit extra. We’ve been struggling there. Once more, we’ve had some races the place they’ve been actually good and we haven’t been capable of execute and get good finishes. On the whole, we simply want just a little extra tempo. That automobile hasn’t had sufficient velocity.”
Logano turned the primary reigning Cup champion to not rating a top-10 end within the first six races of the next season.
Logano began second at Phoenix however a restart violation early within the race pressured the group to alter technique and use its choice tires in a different way than most groups. He completed thirteenth there. Logano led at Las Vegas however misplaced it on pit highway with 22 laps to go because of a gradual pit cease. “I simply made a mistake on pit highway that I want I may have again,” Logano mentioned after that race.
Cindric led the Daytona 500 to start the ultimate lap, misplaced the lead on the backstretch and was collected in a crash, ending eighth.
Cindric led the next weekend at Atlanta three laps from the scheduled distance earlier than Kyle Larson received beneath him. As they raced off Flip 2, Larson got here up the monitor and Cindric hit the wall and crashed.
Cindric received a stage at Las Vegas however needed to pit a second time for a possible unfastened wheel. He recovered to complete sixth, his finest results of the season.
