Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - Bowman Gray

February 3, 2025


Cook Out Clash - Bowman Gray Stadium
Winston-Salem, NC - February 2, 2025


AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 FREIGHTLINER FORD MUSTANG

START: 16TH   FINISH: 7TH 
 

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang team opened the year with a solid seventh-place finish in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR's pre-season exhibition event leading into the season-opening DAYTONA 500. Cindric secured his place in the 23-car field with a top-five result in his heat race on Saturday, rolling off 16th for the 200-lap feature at the historic quarter-mile short track. From the start, the field wrestled with the tight confines of Bowman Gray, and Cindric reported that his car was tight on the initial run when the first caution flew on Lap 20. As the race progressed, the handling remained a challenge, and Cindric noted he was losing the right rear. A scheduled halfway break at Lap 100 allowed the team to make adjustments, with crew chief Brian Wilson calling for wedge and air pressure changes to free up the car for the second half. Restarting 13th, Cindric steadily gained positions in the closing stages, working his way into the top 10 and ultimately crossing the finish line in the seventh position.

CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "I thought we did a good job of making our Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse better from Saturday night and even from the first 100 laps to the second 100 laps. I can't really complain. I thought we had speed to race in the top five. We made a lot of passes under green on that long run and felt like we had a reasonable car and kept the tires under it. These quarter mile events have been a struggle for me the last four years, so it's really good progress and a solid showing to start the season for the 2 car."

 

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/GREAT LAKES FLOORING FORD MUSTANG

START: 23RD    FINISH: 2ND
 

RACE RUNDOWN: After starting at the rear of the 23-car field for Sunday night's Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, Ryan Blaney wheeled the No. 12 Menards/Great Lakes Ford Mustang to a runner-up finish in the 200-lap, season-opening exhibition. Blaney navigated his way through traffic to make up 11 spots in the first 79 laps before cracking into the top-10 by the time of the scheduled halfway caution at lap 100. The 12 team made a few adjustments during the eight-minute break to help Blaney's ability to rotate the corners prior to the final run before a handful of cautions allowed him to gain ground on the restarts. After making his way into the top-five just 20 laps into the run, Blaney worked his way past the No. 11 for second in the running order with 52 laps to go as he chased down the No. 9 for the top spot. As the two battled through lapped traffic in the closing laps, Blaney was unable to overtake the top spot and settled for the runner-up result.

BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "I got to 10th before the break and I kind of got to the top-five relatively quick - a couple of restarts went my way - and by the time I got to second I saved a pretty good bit even to get to second because I knew it might go the whole way, and then it was just kind of like a game between [Chase Elliott] and myself like who can save more right-rear tire. I just didn't quite have enough to lean on there at the end. I started pushing like with 25 to go and I just didn't have enough. I needed some help by lappers and I just never really could get there. I kind of just didn't have enough to lean on, but it was fun coming from the back and just not quite having enough, but it's always fun when you can move forward like that."

 

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 7TH  FINISH: 4TH
 

RACE RUNDOWN: Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano returned behind the wheel of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Sunday night in the inaugural Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, turning in a fourth-place effort in the 200-lap exhibition race. After taking the green flag from seventh, Logano suffered contact to the right front in the opening laps that resulted in a tight-handling condition for the duration of the first run. Logano managed to hold his standing in the top-10 before the scheduled caution on lap 100 when the No. 22 team addressed an issue with the right front toe link prior to the final run of the night. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford responded by working its way into the top-five with 44 laps to go before Logano battled the No. 23 for several laps, eventually taking over the fourth spot with 19 laps remaining where eventually took the checkered flag from.

LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "I got damage early in the race, like lap three. That puts you an adjustment behind because in the 100 lap break you're sitting there saying, 'OK, I was really tight but was that because my toe was out a lot, or am I really that tight?' So that makes it a challenging adjustment and really just kind of put us one adjustment behind. I think I could have maybe been in contention there. We had decent track position. I was trying to manage where I was before the 100 lap break so I could still be in the hunt. We just had a couple of mediocre restarts where I couldn't launch as good and let a couple cars down in front of me, and then the long haul there I was able to get a couple cars there at the end of the race. I was trying to position myself to where I was in the second row and you never know what happens on a late race restart at a track like this, so it was just trying to say semi close and hope for a caution, which there never was, but, overall, I would say the race was pretty interesting."


The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for Speedweeks and the 67th running of the prestigious DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 16. All the action kicks off with Practice 1 and Pole Qualifying on Wednesday, February 12.