SPEEDWAY, Ind. — NASCAR officials penalized the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team in Saturday’s Cup Series pre-race inspection at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, forcing driver Martin Truex Jr. to start at the rear of the field and make a pass through pit road after the start of Sunday’s Brickyard 400.
Truex had qualified 14th for Sunday’s 400-miler (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), but the team was found to have made an unapproved adjustment after clearing inspection the first time. The No. 19 team will also lose pit-stall selection for Sunday’s event, and car chief Chris Jones was ejected for the balance of the weekend. The car passed on re-inspection.
Truex — in his final Cup Series season — enters the race as the series’ top points-earner without a victory, 137 points above the provisional elimination line in the playoff picture.
The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford for driver Todd Gilliland was also penalized in Saturday inspection for failing twice. Competition officials ejected No. 38 car chief Will Norris and stripped the team of pit-stall selection for Sunday’s race.
