NASCAR: Kyle Larson penalized ahead of Richmond race

Kyle Larson has been penalized and will drop to the rear of the field ahead of Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Richmond Raceway.

The 16 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are guaranteed to start the three round of 16 races inside the top 16, even with NASCAR using the starting lineup formula to set the starting lineups.

However, that “guarantee” does not factor in potential pre-race penalties.

Points leader Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports will not start Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway inside the top 16.

Larson was to have started the 400-lap Federated Auto Parts 400 around the four-turn, 0.75-mile (1.207-kilometer) oval in Richmond, Virginia from the pole position behind the wheel of his #5 Chevrolet, but the #5 Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection twice.

As a result, Larson is set to drop to the tail end of the inside lane before the green flag waves.

This marks the second time in the last three races that Larson has been forced to start at the rear, and both times, he had been slated to start from the pole position.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., who was set to start in third place behind the wheel of his #19 Toyota, is now set to start on the front row alongside teammate Denny Hamlin behind the wheel of his #11 Toyota. However, he will not get lane choice and will need to take the green flag after Hamlin does.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer was issued the same penalty as Larson. However, he is not a playoff driver and had been slated to start in 21st place behind the wheel of his #41 Ford. Like Larson, he is set to drop to the tail end of the inside lane before the green flag waves.

Here is the updated starting lineup for the 2021 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway.

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

WynnBET lists Larson at +600 for this race, which makes him tied for the third favorite with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch. The two favorites are the updated front row starters: Truex (+350) and Hamlin (+400).

Make your pick now on WynnBET.