TALLADEGA, Ala. — Kyle Larson will have to start from the rear of the field and serve a pass-through penalty at the start of Sunday’s Cup race at Talladega, NASCAR announced.
The penalties are due to an issue found ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session. NASCAR announced that the No. 5 team had made unapproved adjustments to the roof rail section of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro while pushing the car to the grid for qualifying.
The car was pulled from the qualifying lineup and sent back to the garage. NASCAR ejected Larson’s crew chief, Jesse Saunders.
Per NASCAR, there will be no further penalties for Larson or the team after Sunday’s race. The No. 5 Chevrolet passed inspection ahead of Sunday’s race.
Entering the Talladega weekend, Larson had won three consecutive pole awards — Richmond, Martinsville and Texas. Larson leads the Cup standings and he is 17 points ahead of Martin Truex Jr. in second.
