Joey Logano scored his first win of the season, and with that came a huge load of points that helped him move higher up on the rankings. As a result, he is now 49 points above the Chase cutline. 

Logano’s Chase probability was discussed on The Teardown podcast. Co-host Jordan Bianchi believes Logano is effectively locked into the Chase because of the tracks that are still left on the calendar, most notably Iowa and Richmond, which should suit Team Penske’s strengths. 

“I don't know how you can't say that he's in. Because regardless of what happens in Indianapolis, the way this sets up for them is they are going to be in position to get a massive amount of points at those tracks you mentioned. And even Daytona, as wild card as Daytona is, they do a really good job of getting stage points at Daytona. 

Now, finishing races at Daytona is a different animal for them, but they do a really good job through the first few stages of getting stage points. The Penske cars work so well together, and they have this strategy. I think he's in a really good spot right now.”

Continuing in the interaction, Bianchi also added in the podcast that even if Logano does not win at those venues, he should still be capable of collecting stage points, which will help him finish inside the top 10.

“I look at this saying, okay, they can bottle this, and they should be able to because there are a lot of similarities with Iowa and Richmond, especially. They're going to be in a great spot where they have an opportunity, even if they don't go and win, like they should be able to go and get stage points and finish in the top 10 on these short tracks.”

Logano’s finish at the top in North Wilkesboro comes after another strong performance in the previous round at Atlanta, where he had finished P9. At that time, he had emphasized the importance of securing points, and said that the team “really needed that.”

That reflection had also come after a period of intense speculation around whether the rest of Penske’s drivers apart from Blaney would be able to enter The Chase. 

How about the rest of Team Penske’s drivers? 

In the same episode of The Teardown podcast, Bianchi and Jeff Gluck also discussed the playoff chances for the other two Penske drivers, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric. 

Bianchi highlighted that the race at North Wilkesboro was a critical litmus test for Team Penske. Given previous concerns about their performance on short tracks, winning back-to-back races serves as a major statement that the organization has regained its footing.  

Although Ryan Blaney sits third in the rankings, he finished 11th in the race, even though the hosts noted that he had the potential for a top-five finish, given his speed. Meanwhile, Austin Cindric managed a 14th-place finish, which leaves him 33 points above the cutline. 

“I was really looking at this as a huge test for Penske, and I really think they passed. Obviously, when you look at Ryan Blaney, even though he started in the back, he was able to drive all the way up to fourth before his speeding penalty.

It sounds like they called him to pit road late, and it did finish under green, so you don't know how much he would have been able to overcome in terms of track position, but he was going to get a top five out of it. Ultimately, Cindric is now plus 33 on the cut line as well. He ends up finishing 14th, but it also sort of gives some confidence for Cindric. This was a Penske night as a whole.”

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason