2025 season preview: Team Penske

Editor’s Note: Today’s Team Penske preview concludes NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2025 Cup Series season. TEAM PENSKE Manufacturer: Ford Engine: Roush Yates Engines Driver-crew chief pairings: Austin Cindric-Brian Wilson (No. 2), Ryan Blaney-Jonathan Hassler (No. 12), Joey Logano-Paul Wolfe (No. 22) Team outlook: For the third straight year, Team Penske enters the NASCAR Cup Series season as the defending champion of the sport. Logano's 2024 title marked his second triumph in three seasons, sandwiching a Blaney championship run in between. Cindric wheeled the No. 2 Ford back to Victory Lane in 2024, sparking a playoff parlay for Penske as it pushed into the postseason. There appears no imminent reason to believe Penske will be any less of a threat for the championship in 2025 as its veteran-heavy roster continues to bolster confidence, particularly late in the season. Past success guarantees nothing in the future, however, and another strong display will be necessary to return to the top of the championship stage at Phoenix Raceway when the season's final checkered flag waves in November. AUSTIN CINDRIC, NO. 2 FORD Experience: Three full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 11th in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, 4 top fives, 7 top 10s 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 100-1 Outlook: Cindric and the No. 2 Team Penske group took a mighty step forward toward regular contention at the front of the field late in the 2024 campaign. A June win at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway propelled him to the postseason, where he made a convincing charge into the Round of 12 and an impressive effort that nearly propelled him forward to the Round of 8 if not for a Talladega crash from the lead. Cindric could benefit from more consistent front-running in 2025, though. His 19.9 average finish marked a slight improvement from 2023 (21.6) but still down from his rookie-season results at 16.3. Two of his four top fives in 2024 came in the year's final five races, but he also finished 27th or worse in four of the last seven events with two DNFs. RELATED: Austin Cindric through the years | Cindric assesses young career RYAN BLANEY, NO. 12 FORD Experience: Nine full seasons plus two partial seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 2nd in final Cup Series standings; 3 wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s, 1 pole 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 13-2 Outlook: One year removed from winning the 2023 Cup championship, Blaney established himself as a regular threat all over again in 2024 with his third multi-win season in the past four years. The No. 12 team is officially a threat just about everywhere, and with runner-up finishes in each of the last three season finales at Phoenix Raceway (and top fives in each of the last seven Phoenix races overall), there stands no reason to doubt Blaney will have a say in determining the 2025 championship battle. Few questions remain surrounding the 31-year-old's on-track ability. His 13 career wins have come at every type of track on the schedule. But how consistently will his No. 12 Ford land in Victory Lane? Expect another rise in Blaney's ascension in 2025. RELATED: Ryan Blaney through the years | All of Blaney's Cup wins JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 FORD Experience: 16 full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 1st in final Cup Series standings; 4 wins, 7 top fives, 13 top 10s, 3 poles 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 17-2 Outlook: The title of "reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion" says it all for Logano, who soared to the peak of the sport after a series-best three postseason victories during the 2024 playoffs. Logano netted four total wins across last year's campaign, second only to Kyle Larson's six despite Logano's lowest top-five and top-10 totals since joining Team Penske in 2013. As the whole of Team Penske continues to prove formidable, Logano has proved a key leader in its success. After a championship run in 2024 -- his second in the past three years -- the driver of the No. 22 Ford should be a force to be reckoned with again in 2025. RELATED: All of Logano's Cup wins | Logano through the years BOLD PREDICTION: An all-inclusive trip to the playoffs no longer feels quite so bold for Team Penske after achieving the feat in '24, particularly with Cindric's continued improvement. Bolder yet, though: all three will advance to the Round of 8. It's hard to go against the team that's won three consecutive Cup championships -- and I'm not ready to say they'll win a fourth in a row. But Team Penske undoubtedly has the tools to do so.