Roger Penske has to be feeling mighty proud of his NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series squads after a tremendous weekend that saw them both head to Victory Lane in their respective events.
On Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, A.J. Allmendinger dominated and then survived a green-white-checkered finish to earn his second NNS victory of the season. Then today, Joey Logano came through with a Cup win at Michigan International Speedway that put him right in the thick of Chase contention.
Penske called Logano’s victory one of the biggest he’s ever had at the two-mile oval, which he himself owned from 1972 to 1999 before his tracks were purchased by the International Speedway Corporation.
“We bet on Joey when we hired him, and he’s certainly been showing the speed and the skill, and today, winning at our home track for Ford and our Shell-Pennzoil car was outstanding,” he said. “It was a great Penske weekend when you think about A.J. [Allmendinger] down at Mid-Ohio, but for me, [Michigan] is a great track.
“I came here many years ago and we bought the track, and it’s still the best track on the circuit – you can pass and you can race. So, to get this victory is just amazing.”
The win also marked Logano’s first win for Penske since joining the team over this past off-season as the full-time driver of the No. 22 Ford. When asked about how he came to hire Logano, “The Captain” cited not only his inner drive but his ability to work well with the reigning Sprint Cup champion, Brad Keselowski.
“That is key. You have to have that chemistry,” he said. “We are investing in the future and we have two young drivers we would match with anybody today. We are looking long-term. This isn’t about one race at Michigan, it is about the future.”
As for the present, both Keselowski and Logano are looking for a Chase berth, with the latter’s chances boosted considerably by his win over Kevin Harvick this afternoon in the Irish Hills.
Naturally, Penske is hopeful that both of his horses can make it.
“I guess we’ll look at the scoreboard in three more races and find out whether it’s been a success or not,” he said. “But I’m going to tell our guys to do what they’ve been doing, work smart, bring their car home.”