Team Penske's drivers entered the playoffs as favorites based on the schedule and their past success, yet the team's two remaining contenders face an "all or nothing" situation next weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
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"Not the finish we wanted," Ryan Blaney said after finishing 23rd at Talladega Superspeedway. "We didn't do what we needed to do and we didn't get help when we needed it. Now we have to go win next week."
Joey Logano and Blaney controlled Sunday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, and they remained at the front of the pack when the caution flew for Cody Ware spinning with 22 laps in the scheduled distance. Yet, neither driver won.
It's a one-two @Team_Penske punch at the front of the field.@joeylogano and @Blaney are in control with less than 50 laps to go. pic.twitter.com/wamNEJrYr8
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 19, 2025
They both fell back through the pack as the laps clicked down. They watched as drivers like Todd Gilliland, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and eventual winner Chase Briscoe moved forward.
The Team Penske drivers had the speed in their Ford Mustangs, and they had race-winning experience. They just didn't have the help they needed in the closing laps.
"We just can't be saving gas at the end of the race," Logano said on pit road. "Ryan was not, but I was frustrated.
"You just get demoted in the lane as cars move to the front. You're helpless. You're sitting there just driving in circles knowing the right thing to do and just can't do it. I drive one car."
Logano and Blaney could have scored some crucial points at Talladega. They both could have contended for the win that would guarantee a spot in the Championship 4.
Instead, Blaney crossed the line in 23rd place and fell to 47 points below the cutline. Logano crossed the finish line in 16th place. He fell to 38 points below the cutline.
This does not bode well for the two drivers who have combined to win all three championships of the Gen 7 era. One could win at Martinsville, something Blaney has done the last two seasons. Doing so would eliminate the other Team Penske driver.
Both could also struggle at the short track and fail to advance. This would put Team Penske in a situation where it has no representatives in the Championship 4 for the first time since NASCAR introduced the Gen 7 car.
Blaney and Logano can't think about the what-ifs. They can only go to Martinsville and put it all on the line.
"We just have a simple point of view at this point, it's all or nothing," a frustrated Logano said on pit road. "Stage points aren't going to matter. Nothing else is going to matter but winning."
