Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell Hit With NASCAR Inspection Penalties Before Chicagoland Race
Saturday qualifying at Chicagoland Speedway wasn’t the end of NASCAR’s workday.
Following pre-race inspection, NASCAR penalized the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kyle Larson and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Michael McDowell after both teams failed inspection multiple times.
While both teams lost key personnel for the remainder of the weekend, the consequences were far more severe for McDowell, whose qualifying session never even began.
Michael McDowell Will Start Last After Multiple Inspection Failures
McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet failed inspection three times before finally passing on its fourth attempt.
Because of the repeated failures, NASCAR ruled that McDowell would not be allowed to make a qualifying lap. Instead, he’ll start Sunday’s Cup Series race from 38th, forfeit pit stall selection and serve a pass-through penalty under green after the race begins.
NASCAR also ejected No. 71 car chief Travis Young from the remainder of the race weekend.
The penalties come at a difficult time for McDowell, who entered Chicagoland sitting 21st in the Cup Series standings and trying to climb back toward the provisional Chase cutoff.
Kyle Larson Keeps Front-Row Starting Spot Despite Penalty
Larson’s afternoon unfolded much differently.
The No. 5 Chevrolet failed inspection twice before passing on its third attempt, triggering NASCAR’s standard inspection penalties.
The Hendrick Motorsports team lost pit stall selection, and car chief Jesse Saunders was ejected for the rest of the weekend.
Unlike McDowell, however, Larson was still allowed to qualify because his car eventually passed before reaching the maximum number of failures.
Larson rewarded the team by posting the second-fastest lap of the session, missing the pole by just 0.001 seconds behind Denny Hamlin. He will still start alongside Hamlin on the front row Sunday despite the inspection penalty.
With Larson remaining one of the favorites entering the race, the loss of pit selection and his car chief will be worth watching as the 400-mile event unfolds.
