When qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway wrapped up on Saturday, Daniel Suarez sat third on the speed charts. But, when inspection wrapped up, Suarez was first.
Kevin Harvick posted the quickest time in the third round of qualifying, but when his No. 4 Busch Beer Ford went through inspection it failed the body scanning station. Second-place qualifier Kyle Busch failed the chassis scanner, and both members of “The Big Three” were relegated to the back of the field.
Harvick and Busch will be joined at the tail by 11 other drivers who failed inspection including Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard, Austin Dillon, William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Kasey Kahne.
Denny Hamlin, who originally slotted in seventh in qualifying, now moves to second after five of the top-seven qualifiers will be forced to the back.
The reason for so many failed inspections is in part because of NASCAR’s experimentation with two-day shows. Teams only went through post-qualifying inspection rather than pre-qualifying inspection. When a car fails, they get their time stripped and their car put to the back of the field.
Gander Outdoors 400 starting lineup
NASCAR is trying their best to ruin this sport. If Brian France doesn’t like it any more he should just sell it, if he can. What a nobody. 13 cars, now that really good for NASCAR. I have cut back on going to the races, but now I won’t go to any or watch on tv. This is just ridiculous. It sure wasn’t like this in the old days.
Thanks for the comment, but I can’t help but disagree. This is on the teams, not NASCAR. There’s a rulebook for a reason. If the teams can’t work within the parameters of the book, it should be hit at them.
Agreed Tyson. There needs to be some “bite” to the penalty. The lack of negative effect for rulebreakers is why this has been a story a couple years. Many people want there to be less rules and just let them go, but those same people will be the ones complaining when the margins of victory are then measured in laps instead of fractions of seconds.