Kyle Petty has never shied away from calling it like he sees it in NASCAR’s high-stakes moments. Recently, the veteran analyst turned his sharp eye to the Round of 8 chaos after Talladega left Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney scrambling 38 and 47 points below the cutline, respectively. With Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe already locked in, and Christopher Bell sitting pretty at +37, Petty senses a possible JGR plan brewing. And a sensible one at that, seeing Team Penske’s dominance in the final in recent years.

Logano and Blaney know Martinsville’s short track favors their Ford setups, but facing a fired-up JGR trio will not be easy. As Petty predicts, JGR’s deeper planning is fueling the Martinsville clash to keep Penske out of the final showdo

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