Despite boasting an enviable track record in the next-generation era, with three titles in as many years, Team Penske seems to be hitting a rough patch on superspeedways. Despite entering races such as the Daytona 500 as strong contenders, the team hasn’t been able to clinch victories – a fact that’s increasingly raising eyebrows in the racing circuit.
Team Penske’s consistent performance on these tracks is unquestionable, however, they seem to be faltering when it comes to the final stretch. This has led to a barrage of questions within the racing community. People are beginning to wonder if this is a problem specific to Team Penske, or if it’s a broader issue with Ford?
The Daytona 500 provided a bitter pill to swallow for Team Penske. Despite starting strong with Austin Cindric in P2 and Joey Logano in P10, the race unravelled towards the end. A misstep by Logano led to a domino effect resulting in him and Ryan Blaney getting pushed to the back of the field. Their teammate, Cindric, who was leading until the final lap, also fell victim to a race incident and lost out on a potential victory.
A similar narrative unfolded at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Team Penske had a promising start but was unable to bring it home. The team’s struggle to translate their speed and initial positions into victories is becoming a concerning pattern.
What’s even more intriguing is the fact that this issue is not confined to Team Penske alone. A broader look at the performances of Ford vehicles reveals that they are struggling to maintain their pace throughout the race. Despite a strong qualifying round at Atlanta, with nine out of the top ten cars being Fords, only Blaney’s car managed to finish within the top ten.
Insights into the Next Gen era’s drafting track data further underline this issue. Team Penske has led an impressive 28.27% of the 4,266 laps run so far. Logano, Cindric, and Blaney individually have also clocked substantial leads. Yet, when it comes to race finishes, they are falling short.
The Penske drivers themselves are not oblivious to this rut. After the Atlanta race, Cindric voiced his disappointment and acknowledged that despite having the fastest cars, they are coming up short. Logano reiterated similar concerns, highlighting the struggle to recover once they’ve fallen behind in the race. Blaney, despite managing a comeback, also pointed out the difficulty in gaining front positions once dropped back.
As the racing community continues to speculate over this issue, one thing is clear – Team Penske needs to address this problem swiftly before the next superspeedway race. The question remains, what’s causing Team Penske’s superspeedway slump? Is it a team-specific issue, a Ford performance problem, or a combination of both? The answer, it seems, will only reveal itself in the upcoming races.
