"We want to continue to improve" - Ryan Blaney’s crew chief has their targets straight for the rest of the season
Ryan Blaney's crew chief Jonathan Hassler talked about Team Penske's goals for the season ahead of them. He stated that as they "continue to improve," they aim to push Joey Logano into the Playoffs.
Team Penske has been pushing this season and has won two races; one each with Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric. However, Joey Logano, one of their oldest drivers, has not yet stepped into the victory lane in 2024. Currently, he is in 15h place in the standings having led 216 laps. Meanwhile, Cindric is down in 19th, but his chances of qualifying for the Playoffs are seemingly better because of his victory at Gateway.
Talking about the team's performance, Hassler stated that Penske shows stable improvement analyzing the wins two of their drivers had, and at the same time, they are pushing to get the #22 into the Playoffs. He said on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:
"I think if you look at our whole organization top to bottom, we'll get wins with three of our different cars. I'll be at not a points win with a 22, but certainly a goal of ours to get him into the playoffs. And that's all happened really over the last couple of months, month and a half or so.
"So we've definitely found a little bit of speed, continue to work hard as a team to do that. Obviously, we're a long way from Phoenix and a lot can change between here and then, and we want to continue to improve throughout the rest of the season."
Ryan Blaney strengthens Playoff qualification after Iowa race win
Ryan Blaney became the first Cup Series driver to win a race at the 0.875-mile-long Iowa Speedway, where the inaugural Cup Series race was held earlier last week. He shared tough battles throughout the race, including one with the #5 Chevrolet of Kyle Larson.
By the end, Ryan Blaney had led 201 laps, the most he ever did in his career. The 2023 champion now stands in seventh place in the points table with 501 points. A race win also means that his spot for the Playoffs is seemingly locked given he keeps the momentum up from this performance. He said after the win:
"What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom (Lisa, from Chariton, Iowa). We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the whole (No. 12 team)," via NASCAR on NBC on X (0.41).