As NASCAR Cup Series returns to action, which organizations are looking to right ship after slow starts?

As the NASCAR Cup Series returns from its lone off weekend on the high-banks of 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway, some organizations are in need of a reset more than others.

While Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have combined to win eight of the nine races so far, some of the top organizations have struggled to put a single driver in the top 10 in points.

As drivers and teams return to the track for the first of 28 consecutive weeks to end the season, here are three organizations that are looking to right the ship after slow starts to the 2025 season.

Team Penske

Two of Team Penske's trio of drivers (Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano) are sixth and ninth, respectively, in points. Due to their ability to score stage points this season, both drivers are toward the top of the points standings despite lacking the consistent finishes.

Blaney (92) has scored the most stage points in the series, and Logano (70) has the fifth-most. Three consecutive DNFs for Blaney at Phoenix, Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami, plus one top 10 in nine races for Logano, have left both drivers unable to take advantage of the speed they have had most weeks.

Not to mention, Austin Cindric, who currently sits 22nd in the standings in large part due to a 50-point penalty at COTA and has 57 stage points to his credit but only a pair of top 10s.

The speed is there, especially for Blaney and the No. 12 team. The results, though, tell a different story and leave plenty to be desired for the organization as a whole as cars return to the track this weekend.

Trackhouse Racing

It has been a frustrating start to the season for the Trackhouse Racing organization in its fifth year of full-time competition. Ross Chastain (11th) is the highest of its three drivers in the standings, with Daniel Suarez in 27th and rookie Shane van Gisbergen a disappointing 34th.

Chastain leads the group with five top 10s, but a lackluster average starting position of 21.8 has prevented him from scoring many stage points. Outside of a runner-up at Las Vegas, Suarez has finished no better than 13th (Daytona 500) and recorded two DNFs while van Gisbergen has finished 30th or worse in six of the nine races.

The speed is clearly lacking from the entire organization compared to years past. In the midst of its first season as a three-car organization, perhaps the off-week came at a good time to get everything sorted out and find some speed going forward.

Richard Childress Racing

Like Trackhouse Racing, neither RCR driver is in the top 10 in points, and only one of the two (Kyle Busch) is in the top 20. Sitting at 15th in the standings and coming off the first winless season of his full-time Cup Series career, Busch only has four top 10s but has not finished there in four of the last five races.

Mired in 26th in the standings, Austin Dillon has yet to lead a single lap and just recorded his first top 10 of the season at Bristol (10th). Busch has only led 58 laps, so finding the front of the field and executing during races is something the RCR organization needs to improve on coming out of the off-week.

Similar to Trackhouse, the break could not have come at a better time for RCR as both teams need to find some answers after a slow and frustrating start to the 2025 season.