Team Penske's playoff plight is a Talladega squeeze
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Team Penske is in a spot. Or as team driver Ryan Blaney put it earlier in the week, "unjustifiably in a position I’d rather not be in." That also applies to teammate Joey Logano, another longtime Penske pilot and also a past NASCAR Cup Series champion. For them both to have an opportunity to add to their title tally, they'll need to emerge from the postseason cellar in the next two weeks. The cream may well rise in Sunday's YellaWood 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) at Talladega Superspeedway, the site of the middle race in the playoffs' Round of 8. It's an ever-fast place that has alternately been a springboard to drivers striving for postseason advancement, but also a potential playoff pitfall where title hopes perish. MORE: Schedule, TV info: Talladega | Cup Series entry list Team Penske has had at least one driver in the Championship 4 field in each of the last three seasons, and in each of those years, the organization has hoisted the Bill France Cup -- twice with Logano (2022, '24) and once for Blaney (2023). The team's knack for performing with the title on the line at Phoenix Raceway is a known quantity, and other teams may turn the last two races of the year into a game of keep-away to avoid having to face them with a championship on the line in the Nov. 2 season finale. "As we know, the last thing anybody wants to see is a Penske car at Phoenix again," said Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Logano's No. 22 Ford. Right now, both are pinned below the provisional elimination line, and opponents would prefer they stay there. Logano sits 24 points below the bubble, and Blaney -- who crashed out of last week's Round of 8 opener in Las Vegas -- is minus-31. On the positive side, they both have a history of success at Talladega. Logano and Blaney have each won here three times, and fellow Team Penske mate Austin Cindric was the victor in the Cup Series' most recent Talladega trip in April. MORE: Playoff standings before Talladega The Penske group also has a tendency for clutch performances at the 2.66-mile track, from Logano's clincher here in 2015 to Blaney's 2019 Talladega win that rescued him from the bubble's depths. That history of responding in high-pressure situations may be needed again on Sunday. "I think it's confidence more than anything," Wolfe told NASCAR.com. "For myself and for Joey, with him behind the wheel, he has the confidence that he knows that his team can perform at a high level when there's a lot on the line. Then, the same thing for me: I know we're going to get the best out of Joey in this situation as we do any other time in the season." Talladega has had a presence in the Cup Series Playoffs each year since the format's 2004 debut, but Sunday's 500-miler represents a first with the track's debut appearance in the Round of 8. The circuit will go from its largest oval to one of its shortest next week at the 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway, which will host the round's finale for the sixth consecutive year. For as fickle as Talladega's high banks can be and as many underdog first-time winners as they have produced, playoff drivers have sped to Victory Lane in nine of the elimination format's 11 seasons. Seven of those playoff-eligible winners were at or below the postseason cutline heading into the event. Logano hopes to add his name to that list on both counts. "I guess like cautiously optimistic, right?" Logano said Saturday before Cup Series qualifying. "Like everyone says that, but I'd say it's kind of where we're at. It's been a good track for us. We've led a lot of laps, won a lot of stages, won a few races here. With that said, it's also gone the complete opposite here, but I'm pretty sure that's the same for everybody in the field at some point here in Talladega. So as much as I feel confident in what our ability is and what we can do as a team all the way through, I think we're very ready for the race, but I think from that standpoint in my mind, I feel like we're the favorites to win this thing. But at the same time, all it takes is one mistake or a mistake on someone else's part, and all of a sudden, you're spun around backward. So it happens really quick here, so like I said, cautiously feeling very optimistic." RELATED: Full Saturday recap from Talladega [caption id="attachment_492060" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]From atop the pit box ...
What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday's race? Talladega races typically lean on two major strategy points -- gaining ground by working within the aerodynamic draft and pitting with other cars in sequence to have drafting help after leaving pit road. Both of those depend heavily on manufacturer solidarity, sticking together along team and company lines. With the stakes higher and Talladega's autumn race deeper in the playoff schedule, crew chiefs expect that concentration on manufacturer teamwork to be even more intense than in the springtime event. "I think the manufacturer alliances are stronger in this race because everybody knows the specific eight cars that they're trying to help," said Rudy Fugle, crew chief for William Byron's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. "Generally, this race has been in the Round of 12, so there were 12 cars, and now it's an even eight. So it should be harder sometimes to burst that bubble of the cars that have the track position potentially. So I think that could be something to look for. That'll be tough. Generally, the Fords have been qualifying the best and bursting that bubble. They're going to be trying to really help the 12 (Blaney) and the 22 (Logano) a lot. So, trying to get in and mix them up, and can do our thing. "In the first race (in the spring), everybody's trying to get a win. You know, it's early in the year, I think it was race seven, everybody's trying to get a win and get locked in, so it's kind of every man for himself. Once it comes probably at an earlier point in the stages and the end of the race, here I think there'll be some more loyalty to the cars that are trying to advance." Manufacturers typically meet pre-race to discuss and formulate that plan of action. Pit stops are typically well-coordinated, with each automaker approaching pit road in groups. The reward is a pit-lane departure in a pack and the chance to retain that aerodynamic edge. The risk is the clog and challenge that sometimes occurs when multiple cars try to slow together from 190 mph to a pit-road speed limit of 55 mph on entry. RELATED: Full 2025 schedule In recent years, the pivotal last pit stop has been a quick one. The last five Talladega winners have taken fuel-only in their final stops, all of which lasted five seconds or less. In terms of on-track tactics, drivers who might cut a fellow competitor from another auto group a break may be in shorter supply -- especially when it directly impacts the postseason implications. "We sat down and tried to understand how we really think the race is going to play out," Wolfe said. "Obviously, this is the first time it's been in this round, so it may race differently because of that, and we're expecting there to be a lot more teamwork probably this race than maybe what you may see in the earlier rounds or when we're not in the playoffs, right? So I think understanding that's going to be out there, and you're going to have a lot less guys willing to work with you or help you, I'm assuming, with alliances and where the other manufacturers are. So as far as how we race it, I think still we're going to try to race up front, score points, as many as we can, and hope we're around at the end. "I think just being mindful that you're probably going to get less help from other manufacturers. Maybe in the past where guys work well together, even if they're a little different manufacturer, I think you're going to probably see a lot more alliance amongst the manufacturers. And maybe it's not only working together, but being mindful of they're going to race us harder, maybe than what they would typically." RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Sunday's race [caption id="attachment_492062" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]History tells us ...
Rough go for repeats. The last 10 Talladega races in the NASCAR Cup Series have all been won by different drivers. Of that list of 10, only three are currently playoff-eligible -- Denny Hamlin (the October 2020 winner who started the 10-race streak of variety), Chase Elliott (Oct. 2022) and Blaney (Oct. 2023).
He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for ...