NASCAR: Another race, another Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the rear

For the fourth time in four NASCAR Cup Series races this season, a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is set to start from the rear. For the second time in a row, it is the #19 Toyota of Martin Truex Jr.

We have still yet to have a race in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season without a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota being sent to the rear of the field for the start. At Phoenix Raceway, Martin Truex Jr.’s #19 Toyota is set to fall to the back of the 38-car pack for the FanShield 500.

This marks four consecutive races to start the season for which a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has been sent to the rear of the field and the second consecutive race for which Truex’s #19 Toyota has been issued that penalty.

Truex is set to start tomorrow afternoon’s 312-lap race around the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) oval in Avondale, Arizona in the back following an engine change.

Last week at Auto Club Speedway, he was not even able to qualify for the Auto Club 400 after his #19 Toyota failed inspection three times.

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The first two races of the season were not without their pre-race troubles for Joe Gibbs Racing, either. The #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin failed inspection ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and was forced to start the race from the rear, although he was able to overcome it with his second consecutive and third overall Daytona 500 victory.

Additionally, the #95 Toyota of Christopher Bell, who drives for the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated Leavine Family Racing, was sent to the rear ahead of this race after unapproved adjustments were made to his Camry.

Then at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the following weekend, qualifying was rained out for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, and Kyle Busch was slated to start the race from the pole position based on 2019 owner points.

But his #18 Toyota, along with Hamlin’s #11 Toyota and Bell’s #95 Toyota, failed inspection, and they were set to the rear as well. They were also each docked 10 points in the driver standings while their teams were each docked 10 points in the owner standings. On the plus side for Joe Gibbs Racing, this promoted Truex to the pole position.

Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET this afternoon for the live broadcast of the qualifying session for the FanShield 500 from Phoenix Raceway, and tune in to Fox at 3:30 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon for the live broadcast of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season’s fourth race itself.