NASCAR’s Next Gen era has seen a familiar trend emerge, particularly for Ford teams. Every fall season, a certain team seems to dominate the postseason. In this case, it’s consistently been Team Penske. Since the Next Gen car made its debut in 2022, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney have flourished during the playoffs.
Blaney claimed his first championship title in 2023, giving Roger Penske a monopoly on Next Gen-era titles. Following Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 win at Daytona International Speedway, drivers outside Team Penske might be wondering if they can stop Blaney’s winning streak.
The pattern has held true for the past three seasons. Team Penske drivers have consistently emerged from summer slumps to prevail in NASCAR’s postseason. However, this year’s difference is that Blaney has shown consistent speed throughout the season without securing victories.
Blaney entered Saturday’s Daytona race with a five-race top-10 streak and secured crucial 10 playoff points by finishing second in regular-season points. He attributed his team’s success to their consistency, saying they’ve been “finishing where we’ve been running” and deserve to finish there.
With the playoffs set to begin on August 31 at Darlington Raceway, drivers will need to adapt to Team Penske’s dominance. The only Fords in this year’s playoffs are Blaney, Logano, Cindric, and Josh Berry’s No. 21 Mustang team.
Source: https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2025/08/24/ryan-blaneys-win-at-daytona-is-a-powerful-omen-for-team-penske