Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Recap
Track: Road America
Race: Kwik Trip 250 Presented by JOCKEY Made in America
Date: July 3, 2022
No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 5th
Race Finish: 7th
Stage 1 Finish: 2nd
Stage 2 Finish: 21st
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings: 14th (-193)
Race Rundown: Austin Cindric started fifth and finished seventh in Sunday’s Kwik Trip 250 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The driver of the Discount Tire Ford Mustang was one of the early risers, finishing the first stage second after a series of different pit strategies. Cindric started Stage 2 in 25th and worked his way up to 14th before pitting on lap 27 for routine service. He’d finish 21st at the conclusion of the second stage. The NASCAR Cup Series rookie would restart 11th. Once the last pit cycle started, Cindric was scored sixth and came to pit road for service on lap 43, communicating he needed more rear grip for the long run. Over the course of the last run, Cindric gave it his all bringing home a seventh-place finish, his fifth top-10 finish of 2022.
Cindric’s Thoughts: “I still love this racetrack. I wish we would have been a little bit better. It felt like we had a really solid day and were able to make our way through the field after staying out for stage points. I wish we could have gotten that stage win. I feel like I was probably a mistake away by myself in that first stage to get that win, so that one is on me. Otherwise, it was a really solid weekend by the team. I am happy with three top-10’s in a row on three different styles of racetracks. I am proud of that. We will keep moving forward and figure out what we need to have race winning speed in these places, but we were really solid and some days that is all you can ask for.”
No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 19th
Race Finish: 11th
Stage 1 Finish: 28th
Stage 2 Finish: 1st (5th Stage Win of 2022)
Laps Led: 4
Point Standings: 2nd (-33)
Race Rundown: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang team finished 11th in a rather uneventful race at Road America on Sunday afternoon. Blaney started the race in 19th and rode in that position for a majority of the first stage, struggling with drive off. The Menards Ford would finish Stage 1 in the 28th position. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler would take a big swing at changes, but Blaney continued to struggle through Stage 2. However, with several cars coming in to pit before the end of the stage, Hassler had Blaney stay out to win Stage 2, his fifth stage win of the season. In the final stage, Blaney’s Menards Ford Mustang continued to improve, but fought the same handling issues he had for much of the race. Despite starting outside of the top-20 in the final stage, Blaney was able to charge through the field, picking up spot after spot and eventually coming home in the 11th position.
Blaney’s Thoughts: “I think we didn’t start off very good. I thought it would be a long day and we just kept tightening our car up and got better and better. I was pretty happy with our speed at the end of the race. It was nice to win a stage and come from the back and end up how we did, it was something to be proud of.”
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 18th
Race Finish: 27th
Stage 1 Finish: 4th
Stage 2 Finish: 11th
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings: 5th (-73)
Race Rundown: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team fought hard during the 62-lap event at Road America but ended up with a 27th-place finish. Logano started 18th but quickly began his charge forward and secured valuable stage points by finishing in the fourth position as varying pit strategies played out. During Stage 2, Logano went for a spin after colliding with the Nos. 23 and 45 cars. Despite losing seven positions, Logano remained resilient and battled back to finish Stage 2 in the 11th position. Over the course of the final segment, the driver of the No. 22 reported braking issues which hindered his ability to get into the corners hard. As the checkered flag waved, the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang crossed the line 27th.
Logano’s Thoughts: “It was a tough day for the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang. We collected a couple stage points but fought some braking issues late. We’ll put it behind us and move on to Atlanta next week.”
