NASCAR Schedule WWTR: Team Penske to Punch Playoff Ticket After Miserable First Race

The NASCAR playoffs are a brutal gauntlet, and Darlington’s Southern 500 was a harsh wake-up call for Team Penske, the powerhouse squad known for its championship pedigree. Joey Logano, the defending Cup Series champion and Penske’s flag-bearer, kicked off his title defense in stunningly poor fashion, limping to a 20th-place finish. His No. 22 Ford was a beast to tame, either plowing through corners or sliding loose, sometimes both at once.

“We just didn’t go fast. Just couldn’t get a handle on the car,” Logano admitted, his frustration palpable. “Either the front was plowing or the rear was loose and sometimes I had both at the same time.” On a track where he’s racked up one win and nine top-10s since 2015, this flop was a head-scratcher. “This has been a good track for us over the last 10 years. We just missed it,” he added, summing up a night where expectations crashed hard.

Ryan Blaney’s race was a full-blown disaster flick. Starting 12th, he muscled his way to 10th in Stage 1, only to have chaos erupt on pit road when another car slid into his stall, botching his stop and dropping him to 20th.

Things got worse with a spin in Turn 4, which smashed his splitter and forced a pit stop that cost him a lap. “There were multiple instances, one on pit road. We had to start in the back, then getting spun, just about everything that could go wrong tonight went wrong,” Blaney groaned. His 18th-place finish showed some fight, but it was a far cry from the podium run he needed.

Austin Cindric, the steadiest of Penske’s trio, offered a glimmer of hope. He nailed an 8th-place finish in Stage 1, but Stage 2 brought tight handling and a shaky pit stop, dropping him to 18th in that segment. Still, the No. 2 team adapted, clawing back to a solid 12th-place finish by the checkered flag.

“We got a little behind in Stage 2, had a bad pit stop and kind of got pinballed around on a few restarts. I feel like we got a somewhat representative finish.” Cindric noted. His ability to rally showed Penske’s got the grit to bounce back, even on a night when the team’s setups were off the mark.

What went wrong? Logano’s car was a mess, flipping between too tight and too loose, and nailing down the cause is job one for the crew. Blaney’s pit road fiasco and subsequent spin were pure bad luck, compounded by damage that killed his pace. Cindric’s adaptability kept him competitive, proving Penske’s got the talent to fight through chaos.

Now, the playoffs shift to World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), better known as Gateway, for the Enjoy Illinois 300. Logano’s teetering just below the cutline, Blaney’s barely above, and Cindric’s got a bit of cushion, but all three need a strong run on this 1.25-mile oval to keep their championship dreams alive. Gateway’s flat corners and tricky restarts demand precision, and Penske’s crew will need to dial in the setups to avoid another Darlington dud.

Schedule for the Enjoy Illinois 300

The Enjoy Illinois 300 weekend at Gateway is a high-octane affair, kicking off Friday, September 5, with Xfinity Series practice at 5:05 p.m. ET on the CW App. Saturday ramps up the action with Xfinity qualifying at 3:00 p.m. ET on the CW App, followed by Cup Series practice and qualifying at 4:30 p.m. ET on TruTV. The Xfinity race, structured as 35 laps in Stage 1, 35 in Stage 2, and 90 to the finish with four tire sets, goes green at 7:30 p.m. ET on CW.

Sunday’s the big show, with prerace festivities at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA, leading into the Cup Series race at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA. The Enjoy Illinois 300 runs 45 laps in Stage 1, 95 in Stage 2, and 100 to the checkered flag, using 10 tire sets. With temps in the 70s and a 1% chance of rain, the forecast promises a clean, intense battle. Penske’s got to nail the setup on this quirky oval to turn their playoff frown upside down.

2025 NASCAR Odds, Ryan Blane early favorites for gateway

The Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWTR is shaping up as a dogfight, with oddsmakers pegging Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell as co-favorites at +500. Denny Hamlin’s right behind at +650, followed by Kyle Larson at +850. Joey Logano, itching to rebound, sits at +950, with Chase Briscoe at +1000 and William Byron at +1200. Austin Cindric’s a sneaky pick at +1600, while Chase Elliott (+1800) and Kyle Busch (+2000) offer solid value for bettors.

Mid-pack contenders like Josh Berry, Bubba Wallace, and Brad Keselowski are at +2500, with Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher at +3000. Carson Hocevar’s at +3500, and Ty Gibbs at +4000, while Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman linger at +4500. Further down, Erik Jones (+6500), Justin Haley (+10000), and John Hunter Nemechek (+10000) are longshots, with Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell at +12000. AJ Allmendinger’s at +15000, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Shane van Gisbergen sit at +20000.

Deep underdogs like Zane Smith, Todd Gilliland, and Noah Gragson are at +25000, with Cole Custer at +30000. Ty Dillon and Riley Herbst are at +50000, and Cody Ware’s a pure longshot at +100000. With Blaney and Bell leading the odds, and Logano and Cindric hungry for redemption, Penske’s got a shot to steal the show if they can master Gateway’s challenges.

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