With Ryan Blaney Deal Done Now Pressure Builds On Penske Teammates

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 21: Ryan Blaney poses for a photo during NASCAR Production Days at Charlotte Convention Center on January 21, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) Getty Images It was nearly a forgone conclusion, a sure bet in a world of uncertainty. In Fact, the news of Ryan Blaney re-signing with Team Penske Wednesday felt less like breaking news and more like the confirmation of gravity.

Had it gone the other way, that would’ve been news as big as the second coming of Jesus; locusts, thunder, the works. After all, here’s a driver who has been in the Penske ecosystem since 2012, graduating to the top tier NASCAR Cup series full-time in 2016 first with the Wood Brothers, a Penske satellite team, then to Team Penske’s No 12 starting in 2018. Since then, he has done what drivers in the Cup series are supposed to do: win races (18 of them), contend regularly, and in 2023, he delivered a Cup Series championship to Roger Pensk e, a man known simply, and quite fittingly, as “The Captain.

” “Ryan Blaney has developed into one of the elite drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the success he’s achieved speaks for itself,” said Roger Penske. “I’m confident Ryan and the No. 12 team will continue to build momentum into the future, especially positioned alongside a committed partner like Menards who's been instrumental to our team for more than a decade.

” When The Captain speaks like that, people tend to listen and, more importantly, follow. Menards, the Midwest hardware giant that’s been plastered across Penske cars since 2016, didn’t just nod politely. They doubled down, in the same announcement, Menards said they are extending their own deal alongside Blaney’s and reaffirming a partnership that has also included teammate Austin Cindric.