Joey Logano, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, sitting 12th in the championship after eight races in 2026, isn’t a good look for either him or Team Penske. Meanwhile, championship-winning teammate Ryan Blaney is cruising in second place.

History has shown that Joey Logano usually bounces back after a poor season. He finished 17th in 2017 before winning the 2018 title, eighth in 2021 before earning another title in 2022, and 12th in 2023 before his most recent title in 2024.

Unfortunately, the No. 22 Ford driver has had an inconsistent run in 2026, with only 3 top ten finishes in the first 8 races. Moreover, the divide between him and his teammates at Bristol painted a bitter picture.

Speaking on PRN's "Fast Talk" podcast, Kyle Petty broke down Logano’s problems. He said:

"If we go back to Bristol, they qualified what - pole (for Blaney), seventh or eighth with Cindric, and 28th or 29th with Joey. And that's the way he's been all year. Now, he’s found his way to the front because they race well, he and Paul Wolfe, but they just don’t have speed. Joey needs speed to start to get up front and run there because it’s a totally different race coming from the back."

Petty then pointed out that something seems amiss at Team Penske, which is causing the 'mysterious' divide between Logano and Blaney.

"So, when you build a car and take it to the racetrack and don’t have it (speed), but your teammates have it, did it just mysteriously go from your shop to their shop?" Petty added.

Joey Logano is "not okay" with his underwhelming start to 2026

While Joey Logano has been struggling to find speed, Ryan Blaney has quietly become Team Penske’s best performer. In eight races, Blaney has earned the only win for Team Penske and has a 106-point lead on Logano.

Meanwhile, Logano's best finishes have been two third-place finishes in Daytona and Martinsville. Speaking with SiriusXM Radio ahead of Bristol, the three-time Cup champion spoke about his dire run, saying:

"No, I'm not okay. But to tell, we shouldn't be okay with it either. But, you know, I mean, the points are where they are, right? Like there's not what you can do about it right now, about the past, you just got to keep grinding and moving forward and a long way to go in the season."

It's not just Joey Logano who is struggling with the Ford Mustang. Even Austin Cindric hasn’t had the best start to the season, and is currently 18th with 172 points.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Yask Kotak