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 first time since 2021, Team Penske was stifled from the Cup Series Championship as Kyle Larson went on to score his second Bill France Cup in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. None of the Penske Fords reached the Championship 4 as past champions Blaney and Logano were eliminated in the penultimate round, while Cindric bowed out in the Round of 12. With no more playoffs or eliminations thanks to the reintroduction of The Chase, the three-team stable will need to find consistency among all of their cars to get back to the top of the sport again. It should be no problem for Blaney, but both Cindric and Logano have had roller coaster stretches over the last few years that need to be curbed entering 2026.
AUSTIN CINDRIC, NO. 2 FORD
Experience: 4 full-time seasons in Cup Series; 151 starts 2025 stats: 14th in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, two top fives, five top 10s, 0 poles, 325 laps led
Driver outlook: Year No. 5 will be a "move it or lose it" type of campaign for Cindric. Since his first full-time season in 2022, Penske has won three championships, while the No. 2 Ford driver has been a handful of steps behind his teammates. Cindric has cemented himself as one of the elite talents on superspeedways, winning at Talladega Superspeedway last spring and leading 127 laps combined at Daytona Superspeedway, Talladega and EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) in 2025. This year, however, will be all about the full body of work as Cindric needs a top-16 regular season points finish to make the 10-race Chase. The young veteran has shown flashes of excellence, and if he can put it all together for a breakout year, he could be in the mix to make a title run.
RELATED: Austin Cindric driver pageRYAN BLANEY, NO. 12 FORD
Experience: 10 full-time seasons in Cup Series; 378 starts 2025 stats: 6th in final Cup Series standings; 4 wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s, 2 poles, 852 laps led
Driver outlook: Blaney was the closest Penske driver to making last year's Championship 4, but William Byron slammed the door shut late to send the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team to the final round instead. Even without a second title, you could make the case that 2025 was Blaney's best Cup campaign with career bests in wins (four), top fives (15) and laps led (852). It was a year that was all over the place for the No. 12 team, though, with eight DNFs across the season. If Blaney can avoid those in 2026, mark him down as the championship favorite in his first run at The Chase format.
RELATED: Ryan Blaney driver pageJOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 FORD
Experience: 17 full-time seasons in Cup Series; 615 starts 2025 stats: 7th in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, seven top fives, 13 top 10s, 2 poles, 577 laps led
Driver outlook: All eyes will be on Logano as the notorious even-year superstar looks to make it three in a row and four of the last five in such years when it comes to hoisting the Bill France Cup. However, must do it with a much different championship format that includes just one points reset after the Daytona night race in August. All three of Logano's championships came during the playoff era, and diving into the numbers, his last two seasons piloting the No. 22 Ford have been some of his worst since joining Penske in 2013. Logano's average finish has been worse than 15th place each of the last two years, which wouldn't put him in championship contention -- and could risk missing the Chase -- if a rebound season isn't in the cards.
RELATED: Joey Logano driver page