Team Penske claimed a dramatic victory in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, as Ryan Blaney surged to an electrifying win in the closing laps, sealing vital momentum for the organization heading into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The Team Penske Daytona NASCAR Cup Recap saw triumph, heartbreak, and determination as teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano experienced their own high-stakes battles on the famed superspeedway.
Early Exit for Austin Cindric After Multi-Car Crash
Austin Cindric began the night from fifth position in the No. 2 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang Dark Horse, with the starting grid determined by NASCAR rules due to qualifying cancellation following severe weather near Daytona International Speedway. Cindric initially ran inside the top ten and reported that the car was
“a little on the tighter side, but not bad.”
—Austin Cindric, Driver. After restarting eighth on lap sixteen, Cindric dropped outside the top twenty amid shuffling in the lead pack. A multi-car crash near the conclusion of Stage 1 on lap 27 ensnared Cindric, resulting in serious damage and an early end to his race with a 39th-place finish. Despite the setback, Cindric remains tenth in the points standings, showing resilience throughout the regular season.
Reflecting on the incident, Cindric stated,
“I saw a lot of cars wrecking and I hit one of them after I thought we got through the wreck. It’s just a shame for our Maytag/Menards Ford Mustang. I tried to make the third lane work, maybe a little too early, I lost some track position and felt like the intensity was picking up super early in the race there and I got collected.”
—Austin Cindric, Driver
Ryan Blaney Claims the Win With Late Surge
Ryan Blaney’s night in the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse exemplified both patience and aggression. Starting on the outside of the front row, Blaney led the initial twenty-three laps and finished Stage 1 in third place. A strategic four-tire pit stop dropped him to fifteenth, but Blaney battled back into contention by the end of Stage 2, which he completed in sixth place. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler kept Blaney on track during a caution at lap 82, giving him a restart opportunity near the front, which maximized points.
Entering the final stage, the No. 12 team employed similar tactics, running at the rear of the lead pack before topping off fuel and restarting twenty-fifth with forty-five laps remaining. As the race intensified, Blaney worked varying lanes, ultimately riding momentum on the outside line. A late caution with eight laps left reset the field, where Blaney collaborated with Cole Custer to create a third lane, which proved pivotal in launching him toward the front.
Recounting the race’s conclusion, Blaney said,
“Yeah, we just started rolling. I was [Cole Custer] if he wanted to go three-wide top I wanted to let him know that under caution, and I was kind of waiting for him to go and knew we were probably gonna have people go with us if we went up top, it was just a matter of who would bite first. We finally went and it kind of checked in the tri-oval and Cole jumped up and we were able to keep a bunch of momentum going and have good pushes from [Daniel] Suarez, things like that, and then I just kind of kept creeping on the top. When [Justin Haley] blocked [Custer] and the next thing I know I’m leading the lane and now I’m clear to the middle and I can play two lanes. I didn’t quite know what lane to block, the middle or top at the end. I was like, ‘Just try middle. I think we’ve got enough momentum.’ Enough to hold them off. It was a crazy last few laps, that’s for sure.”
—Ryan Blaney, Driver
Blaney led through the final lap, narrowly holding off challengers across all three lines and clinching victory by a slim 0.031-second margin. The win marks Blaney’s fifteenth career NASCAR Cup Series triumph, his second at Daytona, and continues his streak of multiple wins across the last three seasons.
With consistent results, Blaney celebrated, stating,
“I think this team is really doing a good job of hitting our stride when we need to. I’ve been proud of our efforts all year, it’s just been can we smooth some things out and have some stuff go our way. It seems to be smoothing out and this team is just performing and finishing where we should. That’s what I’ve been happy with, so it’s great to win this one and good momentum for next week.”
—Ryan Blaney, Driver. The performance gives the team six straight top-10 finishes entering the Playoffs opener at Darlington Raceway.
Joey Logano’s Front-Running Night Turns Disappointing
Joey Logano, piloting the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse, demonstrated speed and control, leading thirty-seven laps—tying for the most on the night. Early in the event, Logano became involved in a multi-car incident in the tri-oval but managed to recover for a sixth-place Stage 1 result. Working with crew chief Paul Wolfe, a fuel-only stop allowed Logano to maintain his track position late in Stage 2, where he contended for the win but finished third.
With another timely fuel stop under caution, Logano positioned himself at the front with forty-five laps to go, effectively blocking runs from multiple lanes. However, as the field entered the closing laps, Logano’s car broke loose exiting turn four, spinning toward the infield and prompting a caution with thirteen laps remaining. The resulting tire damage forced a trip to pit road and dropped Logano a lap down, relegating him to a 27th-place finish despite a strong showing for the No. 22 team.
Logano observed afterward,
“Yeah, we were in the right place. It’s happened many, many times where we’ve been in the right place here at Daytona and we don’t have anything to show for it. Our team is so good at it. Our cars are fast. Our execution was really good today. [Spotter] Coleman [Pressley] did great. It’s just our car was a little free and then where the push came as the track flattens out there it spins the leader right out. It is what it is.”
—Joey Logano, Driver
He also remarked on the team’s outlook,
“There are good tracks lined up. There’s good momentum. Obviously, Ryan [Blaney] getting a win, that’s good momentum as well for the team. This team has done a good job the last seven or eight weeks. A lot of weird things have happened, but we’ve done a good job controlling what we can, so that’s what you’ve got to do in the playoffs.”
—Joey Logano, Driver
Team Penske Poised for Postseason Battle
The Team Penske Daytona NASCAR Cup Recap underlines a night of contrasting fortunes and rising momentum as the organization heads into the playoffs. While Austin Cindric’s hopes were dashed early due to an unavoidable incident and Joey Logano’s race unraveled in the closing stages, Ryan Blaney’s win renews optimism and showcases Team Penske’s resilience. Crew chiefs Paul Wolfe and Jonathan Hassler have consistently adapted strategies, keeping their drivers in contention amid unpredictable superspeedway racing.
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs commence with the Round of 16 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, August 31. As the stakes escalate, all three Team Penske drivers will be looking to capitalize on recent performances, with Blaney seeking to convert his Daytona heroics into a championship challenge. Fans can follow the high-intensity action on USA, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 as the postseason kicks off.
