Ryan Blaney and Team Penske delivered a noteworthy performance at the Brickyard 400 held Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, showcasing resilience and strategy in the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard Recap. Despite setbacks involving tire issues and a late-race red flag, Blaney secured a stage victory and finished seventh, contributing to the team‘s strong overall showing.
Meanwhile, Austin Cindric drove the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse and showed considerable speed, leading a race-high 40 laps. Although Cindric faced issues with a blown right-rear tire mid-race and fluctuating track positions, he managed to recover to finish 15th. Joey Logano’s efforts were hampered by a late right-rear flat tire and subsequent damage from a multi-car incident, resulting in a 32nd-place finish despite an initially promising race.
Cindric Demonstrates Early Dominance but Encounters Setbacks
Austin Cindric began the day strong, qualifying 10th and quickly moving into the ninth position. After a caution on lap 18, his team elected to keep him on track, promoting Cindric to the lead. He praised his car’s handling in clean air but suffered a major setback when a blown right-rear tire forced him to pit late in Stage 2. The tire issue dropped him to 24th in that segment.
Following a free pass and a pit stop for tires and fuel, Cindric restarted on the lead lap but was unable to regain top positions. A brief rain delay caused a red flag with six laps remaining, which led to an overtime finish. Navigating the chaos, Cindric fought back to cross the finish line 15th.
We had a really strong Discount Tire Ford Mustang today. It was great to lead laps and have pace up front, just unfortunate to have a tire go down. Proud of the fight from everyone to battle back and get a solid finish out of it.
—Austin Cindric, Driver
Blaney’s Strategic Moves Yield Fifth Stage Win and Top-Ten Result
Starting 24th, Ryan Blaney steadily advanced through the field during the opening stage, finishing 12th as teams made diverse strategic decisions. Despite restarting the second stage deep in the field, Blaney climbed to third during green-flag pit stops. A timely caution with 10 laps to go prompted crew chief Jonathan Hassler to keep Blaney on track, allowing him to assume the lead and ultimately secure his fifth stage win of the season.
Blaney’s team maximized the fuel window before pitting early under caution, which sent him to the rear of the field for the next restart. However, strategic calls allowed the No. 12 Menards/Delta Ford Mustang to retake the lead on lap 128. Near the race’s conclusion, a sudden rain shower caused a red flag with four laps remaining, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.
On the final restart, Blaney skillfully avoided a multiple-car collision on the backstretch and surged from 13th to seventh place. This climb marked one of the evening’s standout late-race performances.
Yeah, we pieced together a good day. Starting towards the back, it’s just hard to make up ground and pass, so we were trying to do the best job of strategy that we could. We made good moves to win the stage. I knew we were going to pay the price for it, but it was hard to give it up and nice when you’re able to hang on like that. We just scratched and clawed and were able to finish seventh. It was a day where we weren’t the best, but we made something happen, and those are the days that we should be proud of.
—Ryan Blaney, Driver
Logano’s Strong Strategy Undermined by Tire Failure and Crash
Joey Logano displayed promising pace throughout the Brickyard 400 but was ultimately undone by adversity late in the race. Starting 15th, Logano’s crew chief Paul Wolfe kept him out during an early caution, advancing him to the front row on the restart. Despite a stage-one finish of 34th after a green-flag pit stop, Logano capitalized on pit sequence variations to get back up to eighth in Stage 2.
During the second stage, Logano briefly led the race after pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 88. However, a flat right-rear tire on lap 134 forced an unexpected pit stop under green. In trying to leave the pit stall, Logano’s car lost power, resulting in him falling two laps behind before rejoining the track.
After a red flag due to rain with four laps remaining, Logano lined up 27th for the first overtime attempt. Misfortune struck again when a multi-car crash developed ahead, as the No. 38 vehicle slid down and clipped Logano’s front right, causing terminal damage. Attempts to repair the car on pit road proved unsuccessful, ending his day prematurely with a 32nd-place result.
We had the race-winning strategy, just unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see it all the way through after we lost the right rear. [Crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] and the guys hit on everything all day with staying out during that first caution to get us track position early and it seemed like it was only going to be a matter of holding off everyone behind us and having enough fuel for the final 20 or so laps. Disappointed to see it end that way but still proud of the effort this weekend
—Joey Logano, Driver
Looking Ahead: NASCAR Returns to Iowa Speedway with NBC Coverage
With the Indianapolis race concluded, the NASCAR Cup Series is set to visit Iowa Speedway on Sunday, August 3. Ryan Blaney, the defending champion at Iowa, will be a key figure to watch as the season continues. This event also marks the return of NBC as the broadcaster for the remainder of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Fans can catch the race starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, along with coverage on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Team Penske’s performance at the Brickyard solidified their presence as strong contenders amid challenging race conditions, particularly managing tire failures and unpredictable weather. The team’s strategic adaptability and driver skill under pressure highlight their potential as the series progresses toward upcoming events.
