Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Recap
Track: Phoenix Raceway
Race: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race
Date: November 6, 2022
No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 14th
Race Finish: 11th
Stage 1 Finish: 10th
Stage 2 Finish: 10th
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings: 12th
Race Rundown: Austin Cindric put a bow on his rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway, delivering a 10th-place result in the championship finale. Cindric launched from the 14th position in the Discount Tire Ford Mustang and muscled forward to finish the opening segment in the 10th position. The 24-year-old driver reported a small vibration and came to the attention of the No. 2 pit crew under the stage break. Cindric restarted 12th and consistently contested around the top 10 through the bulk of Stage 2, securing another 10th-place result when the flags flew to signal the stage’s end. A quick service stop on pit road from the Discount Tire crew gained the Team Penske driver three positions. Over the course of the lengthy, final stage, Cindric fought hard for a top-10 finish before heading into the offseason. He would finish one spot out in the 11th position at the checkered flag.
Cindric’s Thoughts: “What a great year it has been for this No. 2 Discount Tire Ford team. To start the season off with a win in the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500, and to wrap up the Rookie of the Year award has been amazing. We’re just starting. We’re going to grow together as a team and I’m really looking forward to that. Big congratulations to Joey and the 22 team. They were certainly determined today.”
No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 2nd
Race Finish: 2nd
Stage 1 Finish: 2nd
Stage 2 Finish: 1st
Laps Led: 109
Point Standings: 8th
Race Rundown: Ryan Blaney started second and finished second in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang lead 109 laps on the day. Blaney would ride behind teammate Joey for the entirety of the first stage, reporting the Menards Ford was a little tight on throttle. Blaney would start stage 2 from the second position and would quickly drive back up to the front, winning Stage 2. Great pit service would get the Menards Ford out front as the final stage began. Running second to Logano late in the event, Blaney was not able to get around the No. 22 and would finish runner-up to cap-off a solid 2022 season.
Blaney’s Thoughts: “My guys gave me an awesome Menards Ford. Just didn’t have enough to the get the lead. Congratulations to Joey and the 22 team. We’ll be back to ready to contend for the title in 2023.”
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 1st
Race Finish: 1st
Stage 1 Finish: 1st
Stage 2 Finish: 2nd
Laps Led: 187
Point Standings: 1st
Race Rundown: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang team capped off a historic season for Team Penske with their second NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) title following Logano’s fourth win of the season at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon. In taking home the hardware, Logano became the first driver to win multiple NCS titles for Team Penske. The 2022 season saw the team capture the NTT INDYCAR SERIES crown with Will Power, winning both championships for the first time in their 56-year history. With Logano’s win in the Clash at The Coliseum and Austin Cindric’s triumph in the Daytona 500, it was a special year for Team Penske. The Shell-Pennzoil crew set the tone for Sunday’s 312-lap finale by taking the pole position on Saturday afternoon. When the green flag fell, a determined Logano kept his Ford machine at the front of field consistently, spending only one lap behind any of the other Championship 4 competitors. Over the final run of the race, Ryan Blaney drove to the back bumper of his Team Penske teammate but was not able to make it past as Logano took the checkered flag.
Logano’s Thoughts: “We did it! We’re champions again, yes! Oh, my God, I’m so excited. Thank you to everybody, my team. You guys are amazing. Gave me a good race car, good pit stop there at the end, got us up in front. Boy, that was just intense there at the end. It’s all about championships. That’s what it’s all about, and we worked so hard the last couple weeks trying to put ourselves in position. And everything that happened in 2020, I knew we just wanted to have a solid run and do this today. I can’t thank Ford and Shell-Pennzoil enough for supporting me over the last 10 years, getting us a couple championships today. All our partners at Team Penske, everybody that works on these cars. It’s such a big deal to win these championships. It impacts so many people’s lives.”
