Ryan Blaney has made a triumphant return to the top. The native of Ohio clinched the pole position for the 2025 Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading the pack alongside his Team Penske colleagues Austin Cindric and Joey Logano, who secured the second and fourth positions respectively. This impressive show of force underscores Team Penske’s continued dominance in the Cup Series.
Under the leadership of Roger Penske, the team has ruled the Next-Gen era, winning all three championships since the new car was introduced in 2022. However, the 2025 season didn’t start off on the right foot, with Joey Logano’s misjudgment costing the Penske pair a potential victory. Despite this hiccup, Team Penske seems to be back in form, with the No. 12 Ford driver, Ryan Blaney, shedding light on the secret behind their success.
Team Penske has proven that the age-old adage “teamwork makes the dream work” holds true. Their dominance in the NASCAR Cup Series is a testament to this. Over the past three years, Joey Logano has claimed the championship twice, while Ryan Blaney secured a trio of victories in 2023, clinching the Bill France Cup at Phoenix Raceway. Even during the Championship 4 fixture last year, where the two drivers were up against each other, they prioritized the team’s victory over personal glory. This resulted in a stunning one-two finish at ‘The Desert Oddball’.
Team Penske’s strategy of unity and collaboration will be on full display once again at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Blaney, sharing his thoughts before the season’s second race, said, “We bring really fast cars, that’s a huge part of it, but it’s also like, we make it a huge point to find each other and be committed to each other. I personally feel like we do it better than other groups and that’s what makes us really successful.”
However, Team Penske’s reign hasn’t been without its challenges. During the 2025 Daytona 500, Joey Logano’s risky attempt at a three-wide pass resulted in a collision with Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s No. 47 Chevy. This set off a domino effect, causing Blaney to get caught up in the turmoil. While Blaney managed to recover and secure the seventh spot in the season opener, the damage to Logano’s car was too severe, forcing an early retirement.
Despite this setback, Blaney is back in the game, finding himself in a privileged position surrounded by his teammates and fellow Ford driver Josh Berry from Wood Brothers Racing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 31-year-old emphasized the importance of teamwork for their success, stating, “Everyone is a little bit different mindset-wise but I think it’s a product of teammates working together, and everyone at Team Penske is doing a good job of bringing some competitive cars every time we go to these speedways.”
The statistics are promising for the Penske drivers, who have shown considerable prowess at superspeedways in the Next-Gen era. Since 2022, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, and Ryan Blaney have led the most laps at drafting tracks like Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta. However, they need to be cautious of Daniel Suarez, who has an average finish of 7.3, just behind Blaney.
Joey Logano, who has been under fire for causing a multi-car wreck at Daytona International Speedway, offered a marriage analogy to resolve the dispute with Blaney. He stated, “I think it’s just like any other conflict you have with your spouse, right? Where is the intention? Is the intention to wreck your teammate? Absolutely not. Does it go against any of our rules we come up with as a team with on how we win speedways? No, it did not. Does it s—? Absolutely.”
As they gear up for the second race of the season in Atlanta, both Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are determined to put past incidents behind them. Will the reigning Cup Series champion be able to replicate his victory at the 1.5-mile oval during the opening playoff race in 2024? Only time will tell. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
