Cup qualifying cancelled; pole sitter Kyle Busch to start from rear
LAS VEGAS — Qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 was set to take place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway but inclement weather led to qualifying being cancelled. This means that the lineup will be set by 2019 owner points.
Under normal circumstances, defending Cup champion Kyle Busch would start on the pole. However, inspection troubles with the nose of his car mean that Busch has been assessed an L1 penalty. Busch will fall to the rear and be docked 10 driver points and 10 owner points.
Busch’s teammate Denny Hamlin and Toyota teammate Christopher Bell also had similar issues and will each face the same penalty as Busch. Hamlin was set to start fourth and Bell was set to start 22nd.
Chase Elliott also had troubles getting through pre-qualifying inspection, having failed inspection twice. This means that Matt Barndt, his car chief, has been ejected for the weekend and Elliott will lose 15 minutes of practice time next weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Despite the penalties, Elliott will not have to start from the rear Sunday.
Daytona 500 runner-up Ryan Blaney will start seventh in the no. 12 Pennzoil Ford.
Ross Chastain will start 15th in his first start filling in for Ryan Newman in the no. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford.
SOURCES:
Racing-Reference.info
NASCAR
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com