Ryan Blaney is the No. 2 seed in the Chase for the Championship and will start the final 10 races 25 points behind regular season champion Denny Hamlin.
Austin Cindric is the No. 15 seed and is 95 points back.
For Team Penske, the decision to swap their respective pit crews boiled down to simple mathematics, and everyone with both programs are largely understanding of that decision. Team Penske has a championship to win and the No. 12 with Blaney and crew chief Jonathan Hassler are their best bets to do so.
According to Racing Insights, the crew that Blaney has inherited finished the regular season 10th overall in NASCAR with a net pit road gain/loss of -8. The crew he had been using, which has now been sent over to the No. 2, was 32nd with a net gain/loss of -129 spots over the course of the season.
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Both teams were told on Monday morning of this decision during their post-Daytona competition meeting and Blaney said he did not ask for it.
“I did not ask for a change,” Blaney said. “That came from above me. I wasn’t in there going into meetings wanting a change. It was just something that Team Penske, higher above me, decided to do.”
Cindric said he has no rebuttals.
“I completely understand the team’s perspective for why that is and obviously the opportunity for us moving forward, so I think that’s really all it boils down to,” Cindric said. “Back to work for the next 10 weeks.”
Did he offer any rebuttals.
“It’s not my race team, so no,” Cindric said.
Nor is he going to say it’s not fair.
“I don’t think it’s productive, especially having the conversation with you if I’m being honest,” Cindric said. “It’s a change and I feel like as far as the guys that we have on our car for the rest of the year, they’re obviously super capable and, for me, I think it’s a great opportunity for the whole group to go out and have a good 10 weeks.”
His only public rebuttal is regret that he couldn’t finish off the season with an over-the-wall group that he had formed a bond with.
“I’m pretty close with the guys I work with and, yeah, I think the main level of frustration is I don’t get to see through the season with the guys that I feel like were responsible for me getting there, but, at the same point in time, it’s not completely unprecedented to make changes to give the team the best chance,” Cindric said. “That’s what the team thinks and that’s what they decided.
“As far as the guys that are coming on board the 2 car for the rest of the year, there are several veteran guys that have I’ve won races with in Xfinity, and I know most of these guys. I’ve worked out in the same gym and hang out, so I’m not unfamiliar with anyone that is joining the team and looking forward to see what we can do for the next 10 weeks.”
Blaney has expressed frustration over the radio when things have gone wrong on pit road but has been adamant all year that that’s just heat of the moment tension. He said he has never asked senior leadership for changes on his crew.
He’s the driver and driving is his only focus.
“I am not the decision-maker when it comes to pit road (and) road guys,” Blaney said. “Really, the only thing I can do is be in those meetings with the people who have those powers -- team leaders, crew chiefs, things like that.
“We all talk. ‘Hey, where can we improve.’ But at the end of the day, it’s not my call to say, ‘Hey, I want a change this guy or these groups of guys out.’ That’s not my area of expertise.
“There are pit coaches and everyone who knows those guys better, work with those guys every single day. They are the ones making the calls. All I can do is give my opinions on a couple of things when they are asked of me, so that’s really where it’s at.”
All told, Blaney has still won three races this season, even with his outgoing over-the-wall group. He felt positive about his championship chances before the changes and feels the same way now.
“I felt very strongly about going into the Chase even before this because I think our team has done a good job of figuring out speed in the race car, figuring out how to get better on pit road, overcoming sometimes where we have adversity,” Blaney said. “I felt great about it before everything – even Sunday – so I still feel really good about it as well and it’s one of those things that on the personal side you create relationships with a lot of those guys.
“They go to battle with you every single week, so that side has its own emotions, but, at the end of the day, there’s a business side to it. ‘Hey, this is the best way we have to win Roger Penske a championship,’ so you welcome those guys in with open arms. ‘Hey, welcome to the team. You’re on the 12 group now. How do we all operate as a group?’ I feel great about it. No matter which way it went I felt really good about it.”
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