Roger Penske ranked 2024 as one of many best in his historical past as a staff proprietor after Joey Logano added a NASCAR Cup Sequence championship to a listing of achievements going again to January that additionally contains victories within the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and the Indianapolis 500, and championships within the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Sequence and FIA World Endurance Championship.
Logano gave Crew Penske its third consecutive NASCAR title and its first-ever NASCAR championship one-two after beating teammate Ryan Blaney in Sunday’s season-finale at Phoenix.
The Phoenix outcome means Penske swept each championship it competes on this yr except for IndyCar, the place Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou went back-to-back whereas Penske’s highest-placed driver was Scott McLaughlin in third.
“I assume you’d should say it’s in all probability, if not the most effective, among the finest [years in the team’s history],” Penske stated.
“Clearly, to not win the IndyCar championship, which in fact is the place we began and construct our first racing staff, was disappointing. Nevertheless it’s a type of issues that… Ganassi, it’s important to give him credit score. He continues to place up nice numbers along with his guys. I informed him, ‘Come on again to NASCAR, it’s gotten simpler!’” (ED: Chip Ganassi Racing competed in NASCAR between 2009 and 2021).
All through the Phoenix weekend, Logano and Blaney each made reference to a Penske staff tradition the place competing for championships is an expectation, not simply an aspiration.
“Properly, as you recognize, racing is a typical thread by our firm,” Penske agreed. “It’s our model, and naturally we need to win.
“What I attempt to do is present them with what they should be champions. We’re not at all times up like this. Certain, we need to win extra. We need to win correctly. I believe whenever you race on this league with the groups we’ve right here, and also you see the execution — you’ve bought to provide (Penske’s President of NASCAR Operations) Mike Nelson and Travis Geisler (Penske’s NASCAR competitors director) and (Logano’s crew chief) Paul Wolfe, (Blaney’s crew chief) Jonathan Hassler, these guys are simply excellent. And we grew them. We didn’t put them in from the highest within the remaining, they got here up by the underside, each one in every of them. They’ve that area data, which makes it so vital, they usually work as one staff.
“What I must do is proceed to push them, as a result of we’re not concerned with sitting right here and never having the success, and I believe that’s been an ideal factor for us, not solely right here in NASCAR racing however in all the opposite collection, as a result of it rubs off. We discuss concerning the 24 Hours of Daytona; that rubbed off on these guys. They’re at all times asking me: How are we doing?
“I believe when you consider it, the variety of those that we’ve that contact each race in our firm… we’ve 74,000 those that tomorrow are going to be simply climbing the partitions with happiness due to the success.
“That’s what I’m in it for. It’s not one other race. It’s, nevertheless it isn’t. It’s about having the ability to present our folks and our companions what sort of firm we’re. This definitely helps.”
