31 Moments: No. 10 -- Team Penske's run at the championship
Editor's note: For the month of December, FOXSports.com will count down 31 moments that defined the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. This is No. 10.
At the end of the day, teams are ultimately judged by whether or not they win championships. And by that measure, Team Penske came up just a little bit short in 2014. But by any other objective measure, the Roger Penske-owned NASCAR operation had a sensational season.
The numbers tell the story.
Between them, Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski won 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, second only to the 13 won by the four-car Hendrick Motorsports outfit. The 11 victories were the most ever by Penske in a single NASCAR season.
Logano and Keselowski combined to score six poles, as well as 33 top-five and 44 top-10 finishes. The two also teamed up to win an impressive $17,306,722 in prize money.
The two Penske Fords were fast at almost everywhere they raced, winning on short tracks, intermediate tracks and superspeedways. And they were in championship contention until the end of the season: Keselowski wasn't knocked out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup until the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway and Logano made it to the final round.
Even in the races Penske didn't win, they were almost always near the front as the team knocked off Roush Fenway Racing as the clear speed leader in the Ford camp.
In the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Penske's No. 22 Ford Mustang delivered an owner's championship for 'The Captain.' All in all, it was one whale of a year.
"Yeah, it was a heck of a season, not just for me but for all of Team Penske, whether that's the 2 Cup car, 22 Cup car or 22 Nationwide Series team, certainly a year that we'll look back on with a lot of pride," said Keselowski after the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "... Like I said, all in all, an incredible season for us and something we're really proud of. In some ways, I hate to see the season come to an end, and honestly I'm ready to be at Daytona next week for the 500."
Even without the Cup championship, it was a great season for the team.
"I'm happy with the year, and I think everyone has a lot to be proud of. It's just a great season, and really not just for Team Penske but for the sport," Keselowski said. "Proud to be a part of that, as well."
"This is the first time I've had a shot at winning a championship," said Logano. "It's the first time I've won more than one race in a season. It's been a spectacular year. ... It was a great experience. We had fun with it, learned a lot for next time in my career that we get to compete for a championship again and how I can maybe do a few things differently and then learn from my mistakes."
