Amid Their Woes, Team Penske’s Underwhelming Driver “Buys [Himself] More Time” on the Hot Seat for Silly Season

After a drab start to the 2024 season, Team Penske may be finally picking up its lost pace. In a dramatic end to the Enjoy Illinois 300 race last Sunday, an unlikely Penske face Austin Cindric stamped his second career Cup win when teammate Ryan Blaney fell behind due to a glaring fuel issue.

Cindric’s win came as a resounding surprise to the NASCAR community. Fans even reasoned that he barely deserved the Gateway win, which Blaney or JGR driver Christopher Bell could have easily captured. But Denny Hamlin opines that Austin Cindric’s stellar performance may help the team in the long run.

Austin Cindric has secured his Cup status

This season, Penske drivers and the Ford team have faltered. Ryan Blaney had four top-fives earlier(excluding his All-Star Race finish of P5) but finished dismally in the last two points races with P39 at Charlotte and P24 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Joey Logano scored his second top-five spot at Gateway after his P2 finish at Richmond, barring his All-Star win. And Austin Cindric had only one top-five finish in Atlanta (P54). But last Sunday, the No. 2 driver turned around his fortunes.

In a recent episode of ‘Actions Detrimental’, Denny Hamlin emphasized that Cindric has secured his place. “It certainly buys you time…but you can only sell the dream for so long, you gotta live with it eventually. He lived it this weekend which certainly is gonna be beneficial. I mean, Austin’s a great guy, and I’m really happy for him.” When the rest of the team is swaying, Austin Cindric is there to fill in. “He is part of the organization while they’re not at their peak…Over the last few years that he’s been in the car, it’s not like Penske’s been lighting it up.”

But Denny Hamlin reasoned that Penske’s late-season dominance fuels Austin Cindric’s confidence. “They have won the last two championships. They find a way somehow, someway in September to all of a sudden get away faster…You can lean on that if you’re him…When your cars are good like this weekend and all the Penske cars are running well, you’re the extra bullet in the gun.”

This team cohesion is ideal for a race team, as team owner Roger Penske can ensure a maximum return on investment. Hamlin explained this point of view: “When Blaney falters, bam, you got another driver there to pick up the pieces. That’s what you ask for as a team owner. You can’t just have one guy go out and win races all the time. You gotta have multiple cars running the same speed to give you multiple shots to win.”

This inspiring team unity played out at Gateway Raceway last weekend. Even after Blaney ran out of fuel and Joey Logano could not go past fifth place, both lauded their team’s efforts.

Team Penske drivers are sticking together

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Racing analyst Larry McReynolds said on the FOX Sports post-race show, “Team Penske had a handle on the strategy.” Indeed, the team stood out on the race track in terms of pit strategy. For example, Blaney, Cindric, and Joey Logano all took four tires on their second stop under caution on lap 115. This call benefitted them immensely: They used the fresh rubber to move up through the field and then maximized track position under the yellow-flag pit stops.

Joey Logano lauded the teamwork after the race. “We were able to grab some points, which we need to do, and a Penske car got in victory lane. So you’ve got to be happy about that. Obviously, we’d rather it be us, but that momentum goes through the whole shop. It’s still a good day.”

However, Austin Cindric shed a tear of regret for his unfortunate teammate. He said Blaney deserved the victory while appreciating the cohesive effort. “They deserved to win this race. Ryan has been a hell of a leader on this team. This weekend was a great weekend for everybody involved.”

Safe to say, Team Penske may soon be headed toward Victory Lane, as the drivers root for each other. What do you think?