23XI Racing has been the workforce to beat within the 2026 NASCAR Cup Collection season. Tyler Reddick has gained all three races up to now and sits atop the factors desk. His teammate, Bubba Wallace, follows carefully behind in second place with high finishes in all three races as nicely. However Kevin Harvick expects this stability to be disrupted after the upcoming race on the Phoenix Raceway this Sunday.
The icon expressed on his Harvick Pleased Hour podcast that Crew Penske, and never 23XI Racing, would be the workforce to be careful for within the deserts of Arizona. He backed Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano as his favorites to carry out the most effective, casting a particular emphasis on the previous. He can’t see a situation during which Blaney isn’t a high contender on Sunday.
He stated, “I believe Ryan Blaney is gonna be robust to beat. He had a ton of velocity this weekend. He’s been good at each race. Penske automobiles have sometimes been fairly good there from the 12 standpoint. The 22’s been hit and miss [and] the two [Austin Cindric], I can’t ever inform the place they’re so far as what they’ve occurring.”
Harvick expects Blaney to have probably the most velocity on monitor. Apparently, the No. 12 driver has just one win at Phoenix in 20 appearances. It got here final November within the 2025 season finale. However his common end price of 10.9 on the monitor is the third-best amongst energetic drivers. He has additionally completed because the runner-up in 4 of the final seven races on the monitor. It may be agreed that it’s about time he picked up just a few extra wins there, particularly with Penske’s higher hand that they appear to have in Avondale.
The “gulf” between Ryan Blaney and his teammates
For some time now, Blaney has been performing noticeably higher than his teammates. He has two top-10 finishes up to now within the season. Logano has one, and Cindric has none. The rationale for the distinction in performances stays a thriller. Nevertheless it has change into so evident that even probably the most seasoned eyes within the sport are starting to take discover.
Veteran reporter Jordan Bianchi stated final month, “There’s such a disconnect between what the No. 12 workforce is ready to do most weeks and what their teammates are in a position to do. Why does that gulf exist? Who is aware of?” Logano and Cindric might want to choose themselves up and run as quick as Blaney does or threat falling too far behind to catch up. In any case, the Chase format is just not as forgiving because the earlier elimination mannequin, and each driver must be cautious of that.
