The opening Playoff race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway has officially wrapped up, with Joey Logano becoming the first driver to lock himself into the Round of 12. In other words, he can rest easy for the next two races while 15 drivers tussle it out for 11 spots. Among them will be his Team Penske teammates, Austin Cindric, and defending champion Ryan Blaney.

To be honest, though it was Logano who triumphed, Team Penske had a good day all around. This is because Blaney and Cindric both ended up in the Top 10. What makes this even better is that Blaney is also the points leader, while Cindric is relatively safe from elimination.

However, that does not give them any leeway to be complacent. After all, Kyle Larson was leading the points in the build-up to the Atlanta race, and he was one of the favorites. However, he was an early casualty in the race and took out fellow Playoff driver Chase Briscoe in the process. The point is, a lot can change in the next two races, but for the moment, Team Penske is riding high.

How does the Playoff look after Atlanta for Team Penske?

As mentioned before, the opening Playoff race was very kind to the Team Penske trio. However, with the exception of 7th-placed Kyle Busch, everyone else in the Top 10 were Playoff drivers. In other words, Logano, Blaney, and Cindric will be on their toes, especially the latter two. What did help was that Blaney won the opening stage, Cindric won the second stage, and Logano completed the trifecta. However, the only hiccup was when Harrison Burton crashed out sometime during the race.

Insider Jordan Bianchi mentioned in The Teardown, “You get all those Stage points, it helps you build that up. He [Blaney] leads here with the series points standings, you’re leading a race where you don’t know what’s going to happen. You kind of feel like Fate’s out of your hands, a little bit. Now you’re heading to Watkins Glen, it’s not like it’s his worst track, or anything. Certainly not his best track, Bristol he’s really good at, but you just have to feel really confident where you’re at. Team Penske has to be static, because obviously Logano’s moving on, Blaney’s in a really, really good spot and Cindric took a huge step today. The only downside for Penske was the fact that Harrison Burton wrecked out.”

Now, the onus is on Blaney and Cindric to try and win at Watkins Glen in the coming weekend. Truthfully, neither driver has won at The Glen, and Blaney’s best-ever finish is 5th place, which came in 2019. Meanwhile, Cindric’s best Watkins Glen finish is only 13th, as he has only raced there twice in a Cup car. What works in his favor is that he has won there in the Xfinity Series, but there is a chasm of difference between a Cup and an Xfinity car.

Will Joey Logano play the team game in the next two races?

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To be honest, the #22 driver has nothing to lose in these next two races. If he feels so inclined, he could try and aid Cindric and Blaney’s efforts to stay in contention at Watkins Glen. However, at what point does it become every man for himself? Eventually, 16 drivers will become 12, then shrink to eight before the final four face off in the season finale.

Will either Logano, Cindric, or Blaney make it to the Championship 4, or all of them, or none? There are just too many questions in one of the most unpredictable campaigns. Joey Logano is gunning for a third Cup title, with Blaney fighting for a second consecutive title. Finally, Austin Cindric joins Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Alex Bowman in fighting for a maiden title.

Also included in that list are Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Harrison Burton, and Chase Briscoe. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, and Martin Truex Jr. are also in the hunt for their second crowns. Also, bear in mind that some of the non-Playoff drivers could try and spoil the party. Atlanta was proof enough, with the likes of Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, and Michael McDowell, among others.