Workforce Penske was the category of the sector for the second straight week to open the NASCAR Cup Collection season. Nonetheless, the championship-winning group doesn’t have a trophy or checkered flag to placed on the mantle from both race.
Within the 67th Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, its three-car driver lineup led a mixed 125 of the 200 laps. Defending champion Joey Logano rebounded from earlier points however acquired concerned in a late accident and he completed thirty fifth.
Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric additionally bumped into bother however completed seventh and eighth, respectively.
At Atlanta Motor Speedway, one other drafting observe, and Ford had the sector lined in qualifying. 9 of the highest 10 starters piloted Fords, together with polesitter Blaney.
As soon as once more, Penske and the Ford brigade dominated all through the 260-lap occasion because the staff’s drivers mixed to steer 131 laps.
Whereas Workforce Penske seemed to be close to untouchable at instances on the entrance of the sector, a spin by Blaney and run-in between Kyle Larson and Cindric was the nail within the coffin for the staff’s probabilities.
Blaney was in a position to claw his manner again to fourth by race’s finish with Logano ending exterior the highest 10 in twelfth after main a race-high 83 laps.
“It was simply difficult all day,” Logano stated. “We had a very quick automotive and after we had been up entrance we might management it rather well. Once we had a pair Fords up entrance it was domination after which after I acquired within the again I didn’t deal with effectively sufficient.
“It simply price us an excessive amount of again there and I couldn’t transfer my manner again up. Each time I acquired a spot it simply wasn’t adequate to get again up there handling-wise, so the automotive was quick however we simply wanted extra steering.”
Cindric’s displeasure with Larson bled into his post-race interview as he believed he had the quickest race automotive up till the wreck.
“It was unlucky. As a staff, as Fords, we had the very best automobiles right here this weekend,” Cindric stated. “We put ourselves into place to win the race and acquired used up and into the fence and didn’t win the race.
“It’s a disgrace. Two weeks in a row I really feel like we have now had the automotive to beat and haven’t executed it. A method or one other it’s disappointing.”
Now with the sequence heading to non-drafting tracks over the subsequent couple weeks, work continues for Workforce Penske because it appears to breakthrough and translate pace over to different varieties of tracks.
