Team Penske’s time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series might not yet be over. Owner Roger Penske has said that the team will enter some races in 2022, marking a change from previously-announced plans.
The Captain appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and provided an update about his organization’s plans. He explained that the team previously focused on prepping the team’s NASCAR Cup Series rookies as they prepared for the move to the Gen 7 era of NASCAR. Though they still had plans to bring the No. 22 Ford Mustang back for more Xfinity Series races.
“We’re looking at some races,” Penske said during his appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We really wanted — with the new car and the drivers we had. You know, we filled these seats with Harrison [Burton] and [Austin] Cindric. We had two pros with [Ryan] Blaney and [Joey] Logano. We said, ‘let’s focus our time on testing and getting ourselves ready and being better in the core series.’ But we will run some Xfinity Series races. We just haven’t announced that at this point.”
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Penske’s Update Changes the Previous Expectation
GettyAustin Cindric (left) races during an Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway.
There have been multiple updates about the Team Penske Xfinity Series program and its future. One created the expectation that the Cup Series drivers would alternate starts in the No. 22 Ford. However, another update said that the stock car would only return based on sponsor requests.
Walt Czarnecki, executive VP of Penske Corp. and vice chairman of Team Penske, said in a preseason press release from Ford Performance that there were no current plans to field an entry in the Xfinity Series. Though he acknowledged that the situation could change.
“At this point, we don’t have any races scheduled in the Xfinity program and any decision that we make to run will be sponsor-driven,” Czarnecki explained. “We’ll work with our sponsors and if there’s an appetite to do something, we’ll certainly sit down and talk with them about the number of races and the drivers that would participate.”
The No. 22 Will Not Return at Daytona International Speedway
Penske’s update creates optimism about the return of the No. 22 Ford Mustang, but the fans will have to wait to watch the stock car in action. It will not return for the season-opening Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19 (5 p.m. ET, FS1).
NASCAR released the entry list for the Daytona Xfinity Series race, which featured the 47 stock cars that battle for 38 spots in the starting grid. There were some intriguing additions such as Natalie Decker (Reaume Brothers Racing), Alex Labbe (DGM Racing), Drew Dollar (Joe Gibbs Racing), and David Starr (SS GreenLight Racing) among others.
The list of 47 cars did not feature the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang. The stock car will not return for the season-opening race after Austin Cindric kicked off the 2021 season with a trip to Victory Lane.
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Team Penske Could Actually Compete in the Xfinity Series in 2022