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Ryan Blaney Reveals Roger Penske’s Strict Code for Racing Teammates

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Gowtham Ramalingam | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 10:45 AM ET

The leadership styles of Roger Penske and Joe Gibbs differ in one big way. While Gibbs prefers not to get involved in the issues that stem from the race track between his drivers, Penske makes it very clear what he expects them to do when it comes to racing competitors and teammates.

This is part of the reason why Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric will never put him in the embarrassing spot that Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs put Gibbs at in New Hampshire on Sunday. Blaney spoke about the expectations that Penske has of him and his colleagues on the “The Day After” podcast.

He said, “The only thing he ever tells us is don’t wreck each other trying to go for the win … He expects us to race hard, no matter what, but don’t wreck each other doing it because the worst thing for the whole organization is if you’re running 1-2 and you take each other out. That’s a big, shameful moment.”

But this doesn’t mean that the benefactor wants them to give each other space out of love. Blaney pointed out how there have been several instances in which he has raced extremely hard for the lead against Logano and even Josh Berry, who is a driver for Wood Brothers Racing (a team in a technical alliance with Team Penske).

“He wants everyone to go win and try their hardest to win, but you’re not going to run over each other,” he continued. “I think that’s just a mutual respect type deal because you work so close together.”

What Penske’s Code Means for Team Penske at Kansas

Kansas has produced some of the closest race finishes in NASCAR history over the last few seasons. The upcoming event is bound to follow that trend and be a close one, considering that it falls in the Round of 12. Blaney fixed his position in the Round of 8 with his victory in New Hampshire.

Logano and Cindric, however, still have a lot to fight hard for. It is extremely likely that they will want to maximise their chances of progression this weekend and not wait to see what fate holds for them in the Charlotte Roval. This means they might travel close to crossing the lines of Penske’s code, but will never cross them.

This incredible chemistry between the lot is why they have won the Cup Series championship three years in a row.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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