Jeff Burton weighs in on NASCAR champion’s struggles amid Team Penske’s mounting woes

NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton recently shared his thoughts on Team Penske’s lackluster start to the current Cup Series season. Despite the organization winning the last three Cup championships, their performance this year has sparked concern.

Team Penske has established itself as a powerhouse in American motorsport, particularly in NASCAR. Since transitioning to full-time competiting in 1976, the team has amassed 230 race wins and six championships across the Cup and Xfinity Series. While its IndyCar journey began in 1968—with 243 wins and six titles—Penske’s impact in NASCAR stands as a testament to its enduring legacy in stock car racing.

In a recent episode of NASCAR's Inside the Race podcast, veterans Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte weighed in on the current state of Team Penske. Their discussion followed a tough outing at Bristol Motor Speedway, where only one of Penske’s three drivers—Ryan Blaney—managed to secure a top-ten finish.

"Here's where I am on Penske. I'll tell you when Phoenix (Championship Race) is over, cause they have proven to me that I can't trust them in the regular season. I gotta wait till they get to the playoffs. They've just been so spectacular in the playoffs, but something with the #22 (Joey Logano) doesn't feel right,"

"We all know how good they are and I don't know, I just feel like something's not, it's not all there right now."

Of Team Penske’s three full-time Cup Series drivers, two are former champions, including Joey Logano, who is the reigning titleholder. However, the opening nine races of the 2025 season have yet to produce a single win for the team. While Ryan Blaney has shown consistent pace in the #12 Ford, he’s struggled to translate that speed into victory lane.

Meanwhile, the Cup Series will return to Talladega Speedway for the Jack Link's 500 next Sunday.

Joey Logano lays bare emotions after fighting all day as Team Penske teammate dominates Bristol

Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano hasn’t had the start to his 2025 season that he had hoped for. In the most recent race — the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway — Logano battled handling issues and struggled throughout the 500-lap event. Meanwhile, his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney made solid progress through the field and came away with a top-five finish.

After the race, Logano reflected on a disappointing day at the Bristol short track and shared his thoughts on the team’s ongoing challenges.

"Tough day for overall for us with having to fight for track position all day. The long runs didn't fall in our favor and forced us to take a shot with the wave around at the end of Stage 2. We'll reset in the off-week and look ahead to Talladega."

Logano finished the race in P24, behind both his Penske teammates Blaney and Austin Cindric, who finished in P5 and P17 respectively.