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