Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Team Penske Swaps Jackmen With Wood Brothers to Tackle Blaney Pit-Stop Struggles

The change targets a series-worst 88 net pit-road positions lost through eight races, according to Racing Insights.

Overview

  • Team Penske, in a Thursday personnel swap with Wood Brothers Racing, moved veteran jackman Pat Gray to Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 and reassigned rookie Landon Honeycutt to Josh Berry’s No. 21.
  • Blaney’s crew has surrendered 88 net positions during pit stops in the first eight races, the most of any team this season per Racing Insights.
  • The No. 12 group has averaged pit stops more than 2.5 seconds slower than the field, and it ranks 35th among 36 full-time teams by pit metrics reported this week.
  • Gray previously stepped in during the 2024 Phoenix finale and helped Joey Logano’s team execute stops on the way to the championship, a clutch stint Penske now hopes to replicate.
  • The move takes effect at Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, leveraging the Penske–Wood Brothers sister-team alliance to make an in-season fix.