NASCAR teams have been penalized ahead of the start at Phoenix Raceway
On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series will take the green flag at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona. The cars have yet to touch the track, but penalties have already been issued.
The starting lineup is set via a combination of factors with no qualifying session at the 1-mile track. Drivers will see turn one for the first time on lap one of the race.
However, before rolling to the grid, teams must pass inspection. For the last two weeks, pre-race inspection has been completed the day prior to the race.
Following Saturday night inspection, three cars have been penalized. All three failed inspection two times.
Cars failing inspection two or more times at Phoenix: Kyle Larson, William Byron and Cody Ware.
Larson was scheduled to start on the outside front row. He’s forced to give up that position.
Per the rules, a double failure means the driver will give up their original starting position. Instead, they’ll be starting the race from the rear of the field.
Related: Phoenix Starting Lineup: March 2021 (NASCAR Cup Series)
NASCAR Inspection Penalties (Rules)
1 NASCAR Inspection failure: No penalty, the team gets to go to the back of the inspection line and try again.
2 NASCAR inspection failure: If a team fails twice, NASCAR will send that car to the rear of the field.
3 NASCAR inspection failures: They have to start at the rear. In addition, the car has to serve a pass through penalty on pit lane at the start of the race.
Typically, NASCAR crew members are ejected on a second failure. However, due to a lack of practice and/or qualifying in recent events, series officials have given less-strict ejections for failed pre-race inspections.
Related: Phoenix TV Schedule: March 2021 (NASCAR Weekend)
