NASCAR: Kyle Larson among those penalized before second Pocono race

Several drivers, including Kyle Larson, are set to drop to the rear of the field ahead of the second race of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono Raceway.

Following the Pocono Organics CBD 325 on Saturday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series is back in action at Pocono Raceway this afternoon for the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350.

The starting lineup for this afternoon’s 140-lap race around the three-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kiloemeter) Tricky Triangle in Long Pond, Pennsylvania was determined based on the finish of yesterday’s 130-lap event.

The top 20 drivers from yesterday have been inverted, and the drivers who finished in 21st place or worse are set to start today where they finished yesterday.

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So 20th place finisher Chris Buescher of Roush Fenway Racing is set to start from the pole position behind the wheel of his #17 Ford while race winner Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports is set to start in 20th behind the wheel of his #48 Chevrolet.

However, there are multiple drivers who are slated to drop to the rear of the field due to going to backup cars, thus affecting the starting lineup. Among those drivers is Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, who was on track to win yesterday’s race before a flat tire in the final turn on the final lap derailed his chances and left him with a disappointing ninth place finish. He was set to start in 12th but is set to drop to the back of the outside lane.

Also set to drop to the rear of the field due to the fact that they are going to backup cars are JTG Daugherty Racing’s Ryan Preece, Front Row Motorsports rookie Anthony Alfredo, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ross Chastain, Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer.

Spire Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier is set to drop the rear as a result of the fact that he is the late replacement for Justin Haley behind the wheel of the #77 Chevrolet after Haley’s accident in this afternoon’s Xfinity Series race. He is set to drop to the tail end of the inside lane.

LaJoie, Newman and Custer were slated to start in 36th, 37th, and 38th place anyway. Preece and Chastain were set to start in 23rd and 33rd, respectively, so will drop to the tail end of the inside lane, while Alfredo was set to start in 26th so will drop to the tail end of the outside lane.

Here is the updated starting lineup for the 2021 Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 at Pocono Raceway.

Starting Lineup
1st – Chris Buescher
2nd – Michael McDowell
3rd – Martin Truex Jr.
4th – Christopher Bell
5th – Aric Almirola
6th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7th – Bubba Wallace
8th – Daniel Suarez
9th – Chase Elliott
10th – Tyler Reddick
11th – Brad Keselowski
12th – Joey Logano
13th – Kevin Harvick
14th – Ryan Blaney
15th – Kurt Busch
16th – William Byron
17th – Denny Hamlin
18th – Alex Bowman
19th – Kyle Busch
20th – Erik Jones
21st – Austin Dillon
22nd – Chase Briscoe
23rd – Cody Ware
24th – James Davison
25th – Garrett Smithley
26th – B.J. McLeod
27th – Quin Houff
28th – Matt DiBenedetto
29th – Timmy Hill
30th – Josh Bilicki
31st – Ryan Preece
32nd – Kyle Larson
33rd – Ross Chastain
34th – Anthony Alfredo
35th – Ryan Newman
36th – Corey LaJoie
37th – Justin Allgaier
38th – Cole Custer

Tune in to NBC Sports Network this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 from Pocono Raceway.