Joey Logano, the defending NASCAR Cup Series Champion, recently acknowledged the difficult start to the 2025 season for Team Penske, a powerhouse organization with a legacy of success across motorsports. Despite their reputation and a string of three consecutive Cup Series championships, Penske has faced a worrying pattern of underperformance in the early races of 2025, a trend Logano openly discussed.

A Season Under Scrutiny

After clinching the 2024 championship with only one regular-season win at Nashville and an average finish of 17.0, Logano faced criticism for capitalizing on a playoff system that some argue rewards singular wins over season-long consistency. Entering 2025, Team Penske struggled to find their footing, going winless in the first nine races and with Logano unable to secure a single top-5 finish during that stretch.

Turning Point at Talladega

The narrative shifted at Talladega Superspeedway, where Team Penske finally broke through. Austin Cindric won a nail-biting finish by just 0.002 seconds, delivering Penske’s first win of the season. Logano, despite some heated moments with Cindric during the race, was initially pleased to secure his first top-5 finish of the year. However, that satisfaction was short-lived-post-race inspection revealed a missing spoiler bolt on Logano’s car, resulting in his disqualification and a drop out of the top 10 in the standings.

Logano’s Perspective on Penske’s Struggles

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR, Logano reflected on the team’s rough start but emphasized the positives: “You just gotta look at the positives, and this has been one of those years to start. The positives are that the car’s going pretty fast. We’re executing at a very high level, from a speed perspective.” He pointed out that, statistically, the Penske drivers-Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Cindric-rank among the top in laps led this season. Yet, only Cindric has managed a win, and Logano’s average finish has slumped to 19.7, highlighting a disconnect between race pace and race results.

Logano further contextualized the slow start by referencing Penske’s historical patterns: “We’ve been in this scenario before. I think of our championship years, haven’t started off the best. In some of the years that we haven’t won the championship, we came out of the gate swinging. Things were awesome… It’s just what it is. Race is a weird sport. So many variables than other sports.” He cited the 2024 season, where Penske’s first win didn’t come until June, after which the team’s performance surged. Conversely, in 2019, Penske started strong with early wins but failed to place a driver in the championship 4, underscoring that how a team finishes the season matters more than how it starts.

Frustration and Veteran Resolve

Despite his optimism, Logano admitted to the emotional toll of repeated setbacks: “You show up to the racetrack and you’re like ‘Man, I just want a normal solid weekend.’ As much as we thought we had that even this weekend… didn’t get out of the racetrack before I was like ‘Aww really? Come on!’” The disqualification at Talladega was a significant blow, but Logano stressed that the season is long and the team is experienced: “Everybody on the 22 has been doing this for a long time. 90% of them. A couple of them are fairly young and new… Everyone on the road crew has been there, done that. Lived this story before and know it’s a long, long season.”

Looking Ahead

With Austin Cindric’s win at Talladega, Team Penske has finally “got the ball rolling,” and Ryan Blaney has shown strong performances despite setbacks from pit road issues and engine failures. The sense within the team is that, historically, once Penske finds momentum, results can quickly turn around. The question remains whether this breakthrough will open the floodgates for Logano and Blaney to follow suit and restore Penske’s dominance as the season progresses.

In summary, while Team Penske’s slow start to 2025 has raised concerns, both Logano’s comments and the team’s history suggest that early struggles may simply be the prelude to a strong comeback, rather than a sign of deeper trouble.