CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A fresh NASCAR season is just under three weeks away and one of the big storylines heading into the 2020 campaign is the crew chief changes for all three Penske teams.
“You know, last year was a good year for us but it wasn’t great,” said 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski.
“I think Penske has made a number of changes to all the teams because good isn’t good enough I think I heard my boss say.”
Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano combined for 6 wins in 2019, and all qualified for the playoffs. But none of them made the championship round of 4. The team’s senior-most driver Brad Keselowski, will now have Jeremy Bullins as crew chief. In the No. 12 Ford, Ryan Blaney has been paired with Todd Gordon. While in the 22 car, Joey Logano will have veteran crew chief Paul Wolfe.
“The way Paul does things compared to Todd, the way that engineers are included in things is just a lot different. The culture is a lot different than what I’m used to,” said Logano.
“Everyone has a guard up at first and you have to peel those layers back and do a lot of things to try to become a part of that team.”
All are eager to see what the changes have in store for 2020, including Ryan Blaney who’s entering his fifth season as a full-time driver and wants to shift his career into the next gear.
“Working with someone new is going to challenge me more to learn him and you combine your two knowledge’s,” Blaney said.
“Todd has his certain way of doing things that I’m not used to. I have my things that he’s not used to and I think you can make that work really well. You learn from each other.”
Also excited to hit the track is Matt DiBenedetto who will be driving the iconic 21 car for Wood Brothers Racing as they celebrate a 70-year run as a team. While the Charlotte Motor Speedway celebrates its 60th anniversary in the 2020 season.