Two car chiefs ejected in Richmond after NASCAR Cup inspection issues
Once again, a couple of NASCAR Cup Series teams had a little bit of trouble getting through pre-race inspection. At Richmond Raceway, it was the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Christopher Bell and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet of Cody Ware. Both cars failed twice, but passed on their third attempt. One more failure would have resulted in an end-of-line starting position and a drive ...…
Two NASCAR Cup Series teams faced setbacks at Richmond Raceway during pre-race inspections. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driven by Christopher Bell and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet led by Cody Ware both failed their inspections twice but ultimately passed on their third attempt. A single failure would have resulted in a starting position at the back of the pack and a drive-through penalty after the green flag, but neither team faced that penalty.
Instead, JGR's car chief Clay Chris Sherwood and RWR's car chief Dave Jones were ejected from the facility for the remainder of the race weekend, losing their pit stall selection as a result. While this won't affect Rick Ware significantly, as he didn't participate in qualifying due to a previous practice spin, it could prove costly for Bell, who qualified eighth on the grid.
This marks the fourth time this year that Team Penske's Ryan Blaney has led the field to the green flag, setting a career-high. However, Bell's weekend has been marred by additional issues - his scheduled NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night was postponed to Saturday due to inclement weather, forcing him to withdraw and be replaced by Leland Honeyman Jr. in the No. 62 Toyota.
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