Team Penske was the class of the field for the second straight week to open the NASCAR Cup Series season. However, the championship-winning organization doesn’t have a trophy or checkered flag to put on the mantle from either race.
In the 67th Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, its three-car driver lineup led a combined 125 of the 200 laps. Defending champion Joey Logano rebounded from earlier issues but got involved in a late accident and he finished 35th.
Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric also ran into trouble but finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
At Atlanta Motor Speedway, another drafting track, and Ford had the field covered in qualifying. Nine of the top 10 starters piloted Fords, including polesitter Blaney.
Once again, Penske and the Ford brigade dominated throughout the 260-lap event as the team’s drivers combined to lead 131 laps.
While Team Penske looked to be near untouchable at times at the front of the field, a spin by Blaney and run-in between Kyle Larson and Cindric was the nail in the coffin for the team’s chances.
Blaney was able to claw his way back to fourth by race’s end with Logano finishing outside the top 10 in 12th after leading a race-high 83 laps.
“It was just challenging all day,” Logano said. “We had a really fast car and when we were up front we could control it really well. When we had a couple Fords up front it was domination and then when I got in the back I didn’t handle well enough.
“It just cost us too much back there and I couldn’t move my way back up. Every time I got a gap it just wasn’t good enough to get back up there handling-wise, so the car was fast but we just needed more steering.”
Cindric’s displeasure with Larson bled into his post-race interview as he believed he had the fastest race car up until the wreck.
“It was unfortunate. As a team, as Fords, we had the best cars here this weekend,” Cindric said. “We put ourselves into position to win the race and got used up and into the fence and didn’t win the race.
“It’s a shame. Two weeks in a row I feel like we have had the car to beat and haven’t done it. One way or another it is disappointing.”
Now with the series heading to non-drafting tracks over the next couple weeks, work continues for Team Penske as it looks to breakthrough and translate speed over to other types of tracks.
