Ahead of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Team Penske announced a decisive reshuffle of its pit crews, transferring the highly regarded unit that had served Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford throughout the regular season to Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford.
Penske’s Playoff‑Focused Crew Realignment
The statistics reveal a stark contrast: Blaney’s crew sat 32nd through the first 26 races, surrendering 129 positions, while Cindric’s crew held a solid 10th place, illustrating the impact of crew performance on on‑track results.
Blaney enters the postseason as the second seed, trailing champion Denny Hamlin by 25 points, and brings three victories and a reputation for strong race speed, whereas Cindric sits at the 15th seed, 95 points behind Hamlin, after his crew’s top‑ten standing.
The new pit crew for the No. 12 includes Andrew Lackey as fueler and Jesse Mills as tire carrier, both previously associated with Blaney in the Truck Series, while Jackman Jourdan Osinskie, a former member of Blaney’s 2023 championship crew, now supports Cindric’s No. 2 car.
Blaney expressed gratitude to his former crew, acknowledging their role in his race wins and resilience, while Cindric described the change as understandable given the team’s championship ambition, and he voiced confidence in working with the incoming members during the Chase.