Team Penske‘s drivers faced a challenging start to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Darlington Raceway, where each of the three entries fought through difficulties but managed to keep their postseason ambitions above water. The Team Penske NASCAR Darlington race report shows Austin Cindric securing a 12th place finish, Ryan Blaney rebounding to 18th after heavy adversity, and Joey Logano enduring handling woes for 20th during the Southern 500 held under the lights on Sunday night.
Austin Cindric Earns Crucial Points in First Playoff Race
Austin Cindric rolled off the Cook Out Southern 500 from the 10th spot in his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse. He managed a loose handling condition during the opening stage, skillfully rallying to an eighth-place position and capturing valuable stage points. As the race progressed into Stage 2, his car’s balance swung to the tight side, but targeted adjustments from the pit crew helped Cindric regain stability, finishing that segment in 18th. The final phase saw continued improvement in the car’s handling, allowing Cindric to maintain his ground and notch a 12th-place finish in the prestigious crown jewel event.
The result keeps Cindric ninth in the NASCAR Playoffs standings, holding a 12-point cushion above the elimination line with two events remaining in the Round of 16. After the race, Cindric reflected on his night:
“It was a decent night. We got a little behind in Stage 2 – had a bad pit stop and kind of got pinballed around on a few restarts and had to hit the full reset button. We really drove our way up through under green through the duration of Stage 3. I thought Brian made some good adjustments and I feel like we got a somewhat of a representative finish. I wish we would have been able to hold onto the track position we qualified with, but getting Stage points early was good.”
—Austin Cindric, Driver
Ryan Blaney Salvages Top-20 Finish After Setbacks
Starting 12th, Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang Dark Horse had an eventful race that tested the team’s resilience. Blaney settled into 10th position early, successfully securing points in Stage 1. However, following a caution at lap 152 while running ninth, a pit road incident involving other cars forced him to lose track position, causing him to line up at 20th for the restart.
Blaney worked his way to 13th when another caution disrupted the running order. On the subsequent restart, he got caught in a tangle: the No. 8 car slid loose ahead and the No. 3 clipped Blaney’s rear, sending his car spinning into the inside wall. The damage included a flat tire and a compromised splitter, forcing two unscheduled pit stops. Despite these issues, Blaney avoided losing a lap, but ended Stage 2 in 31st place.
The rest of the evening saw the 12 team making continual repairs and strategic moves to overcome the damage. An ill-timed caution as Blaney was on pit road trapped the car a lap down. However, taking advantage of the wave-around before the final restart, Blaney managed to claw back, gaining seven spots over the final stint to finish 18th. This result places Blaney in seventh in the playoff standings, 22 points above the elimination threshold.
“There were multiple instances, one on pit road. We had to start in the back and then getting spun off turn four killed the splitter, and then we came from the back to 19th and then the caution came out as soon as we got to pit road and sent us all the way back again. Just about everything that could go wrong tonight went wrong. At least we recovered to where we did, which is ok, I guess. It just wasn’t a smooth night.”
—Ryan Blaney, Driver
Joey Logano Struggles With Grip in Southern 500
Joey Logano began the night from the 14th position behind the wheel of his No. 22 Shell–Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse. He spent the opening stage fighting handling issues, yet was able to maintain enough pace to close Stage 1 in 16th. In Stage 2, Logano slipped outside the top-20 during the early laps but rallied to 13th by the end of the segment, thanks to timely pit stops and focus on car balance.
As the race moved into its decisive phase, Logano remained clustered around the top-20, working to extract more performance from a car that appeared to be a handful all night. A late caution around lap 312 set up a final restart with 48 laps to go, but Logano was unable to make significant headway and took the checkered flag in 20th place. He now holds 13th in the playoff standings, finding himself three points below the line for elimination.
“We just had no grip. There isn’t much to say outside of that. It wasn’t good enough. This has been a good track for us in the past, but I don’t know. Some of our cars were decent at times, but not like we have been here. It’s a bit of a head scratcher to try to understand. It’s obviously not the day we wanted.”
—Joey Logano, Driver
What’s Next for Team Penske in the NASCAR Playoffs
As the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continues, Team Penske remains in a tight battle for advancement. The next stop is World Wide Technology Raceway, where the Enjoy Illinois 300 awaits competitors on September 7. Austin Cindric stays just above the cut line, Ryan Blaney maintains a safer buffer, while Joey Logano faces the challenge of improving race pace and overcoming a narrow deficit to avoid elimination. With every stage point counting and competition intensifying, each Team Penske driver needs a strong performance in the upcoming race to strengthen their postseason position.
Coverage of the Enjoy Illinois 300 begins at 3:00 p.m. ET, and fans can follow the action on USA, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The Darlington results underscore the unpredictability of playoff racing, as teams like Penske focus on recovery, resilience, and strategic execution moving forward.
