The cars of Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch and Justin Haley failed inspection multiple times at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday night, per RACER’s Kelly Crandall. As a result, the three teams will lose pit stall selection and the crew chiefs will all be ejected for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart.
Wallace was visibly frustrated earlier on Saturday when he was unable to run a qualifying lap due to an issues which he told NBC was a “secret.”
“Just really, really loose. A feeling I’ve never had before,” Wallace explained. “So I brought it in so we didn’t tear up a good Leidos Toyota Camry. Found out what the issue was, frustrating, but we’ll fix it and go and get it tomorrow.”
As for the other two cars, both Busch and Haley drive Chevrolet Camaros.
The three drivers are separated not only by the teams they race for and the model of car, but span across the standings as well entering Sunday’s race. Kyle Busch is firmly in the playoff picture with three wins while Bubba Wallace finds himself 15th on the list of 16, needing a win to get himself off the bubble. Justin Haley likely needs a win himself to reach the playoffs as he currently sits in 21st on the season.
The Quaker State 400 broadcast will begin at 7 pm ET on USA Network, with Aric Almirola on the poll beside second-place qualifier Ryan Blaney. Haley qualified best among the three drivers who failed inspection, starting 16th on the grid. Busch will start 22nd and Wallace will start 37th.
Erik Jones loses appeal for greenhouse violation at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Since the LEGACY Motor Club appeal failed on the Erik Jones penalty, NASCAR has now displayed the greenhouse violation. In a new wave of transparency, as a result of the outcry over the penalty process, NASCAR has started to display illegal parts and violations.
After a similar penalty to William Byron and Alex Bowman this season, many wondered what the issue could be with the greenhouse. This is the windshield area of the car. Front and back. According to NASCAR, it all relates to safety.
NASCAR allowed teams to smooth out an area on the car’s rear windshield so it would mount correctly. Teams were told they had to do it within a limit. They couldn’t just smooth it out as they saw fit and there were set parameters. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports says Erik Jones’ did not line up.