The crew chiefs of the Nos. 71 and 88 Chevrolets were ejected from the NASCAR Cup Series garage following Saturday’s pre-race technical inspection at Kansas Speedway.
After passing inspection on its second go-through, the No. 71 Spire Motorsports team was observed making an unapproved adjustment to the front splitter of its No. 71 Chevrolet, NASCAR announced. The struts were reinstalled, officials said, and the car was sent back over the Underbody Scanning Station and failed due to the adjustment.
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As a result, crew chief Travis Peterson was ejected from the event and the team will lose its ability to select its pit stall for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Additionally, driver Michael McDowell will be forced to start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field and perform a stop-and-go penalty on pit road after taking the green flag. As first reported by NBC Sports, Matt McCall, Spire Motorsports’ director of vehicle performance, will serve as McDowell’s interim crew chief Sunday.
Later Saturday afternoon, NASCAR also announced the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet received penalties for unapproved adjustments prior to practice. Like the No. 71 team, Trackhouse crew chief Stephen Doran was ejected from the event and the team lost its pit-stall selection. Shane van Gisbergen, a four-time race winner in 2025, will start the race from the rear of the field and perform a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag.
The No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford also failed Saturday’s pre-race inspection twice, resulting in the ejection of car chief Dave Jones and the loss of pit-stall selection.
Sunday’s 267-lap contest marks the second race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. By virtue of winning last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Blaney has clinched his spot into the next round of the postseason, the Round of 8.
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