NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Team have received a penalty ahead of the Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway later today, jeopardizing his Playoff position.
Originally qualifying in the 31st position, Suarez is now set to start from the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to the roof area of his Chevrolet, detected post-inspection on Saturday.
Not only is the Mexican driver relegated to the back for the start, but he also faces a pass-through penalty once the race begins. Adding to this is the absence of car chief Eddie D’Hondt Jr. from the track, who was “ejected from the track” as part of the penalty, leaving the Trackhouse Racing Team to work under pressure without a key team member.
Suarez’s predicament at Talladega is accentuated by his recent performance at Kansas, where despite finishing 13th, he missed out on valuable stage points, placing him at a playoff disadvantage.
Adding pressure is the fact that Austin Cindric, a close playoff rival trailing Suarez in the standings, will launch from the front row, positioning Cindric advantageously for an early sprint to accumulate points.
The YellaWood 500 is due to start at 2p.m. ET. Michael McDowell secured the pole position with Cindric and Todd Gilliland following in second and third positions, respectively.
Reacting to his pole position after Qualifying yesterday, McDowell commented:
“We knew coming here we’d have a shot at the pole and it’s a priority for us, so you feel that pressure of not making any mistakes and screwing it up.
“I’m really proud of the effort. We sort of had this in mind that today would be a day to come here and get the rest of the superspeedways locked down.”
NASCAR Cup Series: YellaWood 500 Starting Lineup
- Michael McDowell – Front Row Motorsports
- Austin Cindric – Team Penske
- Todd Gilliland – Front Row Motorsports
- Kyle Busch – Richard Childress Racing
- Ryan Blaney – Team Penske
- Joey Logano – Team Penske
- Austin Dillon – Richard Childress Racing
- Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing
- Harrison Burton – Wood Brothers Racing
- Daniel Hemric – Kaulig Racing
- Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports
- Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports
- Brad Keselowski – RFK Racing
- Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing
- Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing
- William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
- Shane Van Gisbergen – Kaulig Racing
- Ryan Preece – Stewart-Haas Racing
- Josh Berry – Stewart-Haas Racing
- Chris Buescher – RFK Racing
- Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing
- Noah Gragson – Stewart-Haas Racing
- Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports
- Martin Truex Jr – Joe Gibbs Racing
- AJ Allmendinger – Kaulig Racing
- Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing
- Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing
- Corey LaJoie – Rick Ware Racing
- John H. Nemechek – Legacy Motor Club
- Erik Jones – Legacy Motor Club
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr – JTG Daugherty Racing
- Anthony Alfredo – Beard Motorsports
- Cody Ware – Rick Ware Racing
- Justin Haley – Spire Motorsports
- Chase Briscoe – Stewart-Haas Racing
- Carson Hocevar – Spire Motorsports
- BJ McLeod – Live Fast Motorsports
- Zane Smith – Spire Motorsports
- JJ Yeley – NY Racing Team
- Daniel Suárez – Trackhouse Racing
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