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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Surprised By NASCAR Cup Series Team's Struggles

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated May 28, 2025 11:59 AM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in Charlotte this past Sunday to call the Coca-Cola 600 for Prime Video. With that said, he had a lot to say about the race during this week's edition of the "Dale Jr. Download."

Ross Chastain won the Coca-Cola 600 by running down William Byron during the late stages of the race. Byron actually led for 283 of 400 laps before being dethroned by Chastain near Turn 2 on Lap 395.

Chastain crossed the finish line just 0.673 seconds ahead of Byron on Sunday night. It was an epic way for him to pick up his first victory of the 2025 season.

There's no doubt the Coca-Cola 600 was a huge success for Trackhouse Racing. On the flip side, it was an utter disaster for Team Penske.

Joey Logano had the best finish (17th) for Team Penske. Obviously, that's not going to cut it for a three-time Cup Series champion.

Logano wasn't the only Team Penske driver who struggled at Charlotte. Austin Cindric finished 31st and Ryan Blaney ended up in 38th place. Blaney had a chance to earn a top-10 finish, but a wreck on Lap 246 ended his night.

During this Tuesday's podcast episode, Earnhardt admit that he was surprised by Team Penske's rough performance.

"Right as he got crashed out, I thought he was making a run to maybe find himself in the top-15 by the end of the day," Earnhardt said. "Josh Berry, who was horrid at the start of the race, ends up getting a top-15 finish grinding it out and they got his car where it was reasonable at the end. I was really surprised, again, and it’s not a season or a summer long thing, it’s just Charlotte. For some reason Penske at Charlotte, they just haven’t been able to get it the last couple trips."

Team Penske fans obviously weren't thrilled with Sunday's results. That being said, there's time for them to turn it around.

The Cup Series will resume this Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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