Hendrick Motorsports drivers finishing 1-2-3 at the Martinsville Speedway on their 40th anniversary was indeed a big highlight of this season. Very few teams in the Cup garage could pull off such a stunt, and the likes of William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott delivered quite a spectacle. But just when we thought nothing like this could repeat in 2024, Team Penske replicated them at an even grander stage.

The championship decider at Phoenix Raceway was indeed a historic one for Roger Penske and his team. Joey Logano emphatically won his third championship, and his teammate Ryan Blaney, who was nipping at his heels, finished a close second. It was total dominance from the Penske drivers as they finished 1-2. And this did draw the veteran team owner to level with his two rivals in the Cup garage in another NASCAR record.

Roger Penske is on a record-making spree

The driver’s points standings play a big role in judging how the teams have performed throughout the season. Despite the playoffs being a roller coaster ride, the #22 and #12 teams outwitted their rivals on the biggest stage in the championship race. It wasn’t just a normal 1-2 finish, but these results saw the two top the driver’s standings as well.

Logano winning the title saw him clinch the top spot in the standings, whereas Blaney, with just five points behind his teammate, secured the second place. For the first time since 2019, a team was able to finish 1-2 in the driver’s standings. Joe Gibbs Racing was able to achieve this feat with Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. in 2019. Moreover, it was Hendrick Motorsports who set the tone for setting up this record back in 1996, and they managed to repeat it twice during the 2007 and 2009 seasons.

“Team Penske becomes the third team in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series to finish 1-2 in driver point standings — joining @JoeGibbsRacing (’19) and @TeamHendrick (’96, ’07, ’09).” Joseph Srigley shared this via X. Moreover, this was also the first time since 2010 a team was able to win three championship titles in a row. Jimmie Johnson and HMS were the ones who held this record from their dominant streak of five consecutive championship wins from 2006-10.

For the last decade or so, none of the teams truly stamped their authority on the sport with a streak of championship wins. But somehow Team Penske has risen to the occasion and has set the tone for this decade. They already have three, and with the talent at their disposal, they can go for more. However, it is indeed a head-scratcher on how this team has managed to stay dominant in an era where the Next Gen car was supposed to bring parity to the field.

A resilient team and years of hardship now bearing fruit for Team Penske

Trending

Christopher Bell Becomes the Laughing Stock With New Teammate Rubbing Salt on Old Wounds Out of the Blue

“It Drives Like a Forklift” – Shane van Gisbergen Controversially Splits the Difference Between NASCAR’s Proud Next Gen and Xfinity Cars

Sprint Car World Loses Toyota Driver Till Next Season as Grueling Injury Forces Pause on 18-Year-Old Sensation’s Career

JRM Prodigy & Kelley Earnhardt’s Son Earn Major Backing as Dale Jr.’s Loyal Partners Announce 2025 Return

Has JTG Daugherty Racing Changed Owners After Brad Keselowski Lured $43 Billion Partner?

Ever since the Next Gen car rolled, teams have been having a hard time trying to figure out how to get the best out of them. Moreover, the unique playoff format certainly makes it difficult for the teams to experiment and find their strengths as the season goes on. But, for a team like Penske Racing, they are not just restricted to stock car racing. They are involved in IMSA, IndyCar, and Endurance racing. So if there was one team who could stand tall and set the tone in the spec car era, it was going to be them.

However, the real strength for them lies in their team and how they’ve gotten better over the years. “When you think about it, the number of people that we have that we touch. Every race in our company, and we have 74,000 people that tomorrow are going to be just climbing the walls with happiness because of the success. That’s what I’m in it for.” Roger Penske said after the championship win in Phoenix.

“I think when you race in this league with the teams we have here. We didn’t put them in from the top in the funnel; they came up through the bottom, every one of them. So they have that domain knowledge, which makes it so important, and they work as one team,” he added.

It is about time that HMS and JGR get their house in order, or there is a possibility of Team Penske dominating this entire decade.