Penske Shakes up Pit Crews Heading into Darlington NASCAR Chase Opener

Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric will swap pit crews as the NASCAR Cup Series enters the Chase for the Championship this weekend at Darlington Raceway.

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

According to the NASCAR Roster Portal, Team Penske is making a major change heading into Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the opening race of the 10-race Chase for the Championship.

Beginning with this weekend's event at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval in South Carolina, the organization will swap the pit crews that have been performing duties on the No. 2 and No. 12 cars for the entirety of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Ryan Blaney, who comes into The Chase as the No. 2 seed, will see his much-maligned No. 12 team, which thwarted several possible win opportunities early in the season, move to Austin Cindric's No. 2 team, while Cindric's higher-performing No. 2 team will head over to pit Blaney for this weekend's race.

Cindric heads into this weekend's event at Darlington Raceway as the No. 15 seed in the 16-driver Chase.

Cindric's No. 2 team this weekend will be comprised of Front Changer Keiston France, Rear Changer Justin Fox, Tire Carrier Trevor Apsey, Jackman Graham Stoddard, and Fueler Chris Conklin.

Blaney's No. 12 pit crew will feature Front Changer Justin Armwood, Rear Changer Geoffrey Wall, Tire Carrier Jesse Mills, Jackman Jourdan Osinskie, and Fueler Andrew Lackey.

While Team Penske hasn't issued a public statement on the pit crew changes for this weekend's race at Darlington Raceway, it is expected that this will be the lineup for the remainder of the season for the No. 2 and No. 12 teams.

Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series Champion, comes into The Chase with three wins on the season, six top-five finishes, and 17 top-10s. The driver of the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse has also captured a career-best four pole positions this season.

While Cindric has had a respectable season thus far, his numbers fall very short of Blaney's. Cindric has yet to visit Victory Lane this season, and has just two top-five finishers, and six top-10s.

Perhaps the change of scenery can provide a spark for the former No. 12 pit crew, and that could possibly help Cindric work his way up the Chase Grid. But regardless, the change should help propel Blaney, who is in a bid to hoist the Bill France Cup for the second time in his career.