DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 14: Dale Earnhardt Jr. watches the action from the garage prior to practice for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 on February 14, 2025 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 14 NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon25021410544300

Apr 16, 2026, 10:55 PM CUT

Dale Jr Flags Bigger Team Penske Problem Behind Ryan Blaney’s Lost Chances

Despite having a formidable pace and performance package coming into the 2026 season, pit road has been an Achilles heel for Ryan Blaney. The Team Penske driver, who has so far been the team's pioneer, was let down by his pit crew on multiple occasions.

Addressing it, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a NASCAR team owner and former driver, shared his thoughts on the problem with Roger Penske's team.

"Upper management absolutely needs to tackle this situation," Dale Jr. said in the recent Dale Jr. Download podcast. "There are people whose job it is to make sure that that pit crew is b*****. It isn't Blaney's job. He might be able to go into this person's office and say, " Fix my pit crew, d*** it. If the pit crew is an issue, it might need a little attention."

After eight races, Blaney's primary issue with the #12 team has been pit-road struggles. So much so that it has cost him 88 track positions so far, which is 31 more than any other team in the Series.

Blaney's issue with pit road emerged at the Phoenix Raceway, where he suffered from several slow cycles and mistakes on pit road. Then, in the Darlington race, Blaney experienced issues with a loose wheel, costing him enormously.

At the recently concluded race in Bristol, Blaney lost five spots, ruining most of his efforts. Despite this, the #12 Team Penske driver came to his pit crew's rescue.

Ryan Blaney Defends Team Penske Crew Despite Mishap

In a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Ryan Blaney stood with his pit crew and supported them at the time when all fingers went up on them. Here's what he said:

"We have a new Jackman, and it takes a little bit of time to create that bond with everybody and create that rhythm and timing. So they’re working on the brink of perfection, and, you know, they might just make a mistake every now and then, but I was proud of them for understanding, ‘Hey, we have to get better here,’ and just continuing to work."

After eight races, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion is in second place with 324 points. He has a victory, three top fives, and six top 10s to his name.

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi