Team Penske is making a change to its over-the-wall crews ahead of The Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the team confirmed on Tuesday. Ahead of Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington, the crews for the No. 2 (Austin Cindric) and No. 12 (Ryan Blaney) will be swapped.

Blaney, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the No. 2 Seed in The Chase, has had a horrific season when it comes to performance on pit road, ranking 32nd of 35 full-time teams, per NASCAR Insights.

With this switch, Blaney will now inherit the 10th-best pit crew in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will begin this weekend, with Jourdan Osinskie (Jack), Andrew Lackey (Fueler), Justin Armwood (Front Changer), Geoffrey Wall (Rear Changer), and Jesse Mills (Tire Carrier).

On the other side of this change (which is, arguably, the losing side) is Austin Cindric, who locked his way into The Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship last Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, and is seeded 15th.

Now, instead of the 10th-best crew in the NASCAR Cup Series, which he’s had all season long, he’ll have the 32nd-best crew, which has been giving Blaney fits throughout the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series campaign.

Cindric’s new pit crew will consist of Graham Stoddard (Jack), Chris Conklin (Fueler), Keiston France (Front Changer), Justin Fox (Rear Changer), and Trevor Aspey (Tire Carrier).

Arguably, this SHOULD give Blaney a better shot at staying in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship This Fall, as his pit crew should be stronger on a week-to-week basis.