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Getty Joey Logano's car failed inspection twice at Kansas Speedway.
Two Cup Series teams will enter the race at Kansas Speedway without a key crew member. The No. 22 and No. 31 teams both failed inspection multiple times ahead of practice and qualifying.
NASCAR announced the penalties on May 14. The sanctioning body noted that the No. 22 of Joey Logano failed inspection twice, resulting in the loss of a pit stall selection and the ejection of car chief Jerry Kelley. The No. 31 of Justin Haley also failed twice and lost its pit stall selection and car chief Jaron Antley.
Both entries passed inspection on the third attempt, meaning that they did not have to serve a pass-through penalty at the start of the AdventHealth 400 on May 15 (3 p.m. ET, FS1). For Haley specifically, passing on the third attempt meant that he was able to post a qualifying lap and secure a spot on the eighth row instead of dropping to the rear of the field.
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Logano Had Some Issues During Practice
The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford has experienced a whirlwind three-week stretch. He struggled at Dover Motor Speedway before finishing 29th, he won the pole and the race at Darlington Raceway, and then he dealt with a major issue during practice at Kansas Speedway.
Logano slid during practice while following Cole Custer around the intermediate track. He hit the wall hard on the left side and significantly damaged the front and the rear of the stock car. Logano had to go back to the garage instead of qualifying, so he automatically dropped to the rear of the field for the Cup Series race.
Logano’s team was not able to make repairs after the No. 22 hit the wall. Instead, they had to pull the backup car out of the hauler and focus on prepping it for the Cup Series race so that Logano could attempt to win his fourth career race at Kansas Speedway.
2 Other Drivers Avoided Penalties but Dealt With Issues
The temperatures at Kansas Speedway were in the 80s during practice, which made the track very slick. Multiple drivers struggled to maintain control, and more than a few spun after their left rear tires went down.
Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney both avoided sustaining damage to their stock cars after experiencing tire issues. They didn’t slam into the wall or slide through the infield grass. They just noticed that there was a problem and then took their cars back down pit road.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chris Buescher, on the other hand, were not as lucky. Both drivers spun and hit the wall after tire issues. The No. 17 was the first to spin, and it disrupted a run that had Buescher as the fifth-fastest driver in Group A.
Stenhouse spun during Group B practice. He scraped up the rear bumper of the No. 47 before sliding down into the infield grass. He was 19th overall at the time of the incident, which cut his practice session short.
Buescher joined Logano on the list of drivers that had to go to a backup car for the AdventHealth 400. He also dropped to the rear of the field for the Cup Series race. Stenhouse avoided going to a backup car, but he was not able to post a qualifying lap. He will join Logano and Buescher at the rear of the field for the start of the race.
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NASCAR Penalizes 2 Teams Following Kansas Inspection