The NASCAR Cup Series garage wasn’t completely clean through pre-race inspection at Richmond Raceway.
Two teams failed inspection twice on Friday afternoon, resulting in crew chief ejections and the loss of pit selection for the weekend.
Among those penalized was Christopher Bell, whose No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is one of the favorites entering Saturday night’s Cook Out 400.
Christopher Bell’s team loses car chief
According to NASCAR, Bell’s No. 20 Toyota failed inspection twice before the field was cleared to begin race weekend activities.
As a result, car chief Clay Chris Sherwood was ejected from the remainder of the weekend, and the No. 20 team forfeits pit selection under NASCAR’s inspection procedures.
While the penalty does not affect Bell’s starting position or practice eligibility, losing pit selection can create an additional challenge during the race, particularly at a short track where track position is often critical.
Bell enters the Richmond weekend looking to continue building momentum as the regular season winds toward its conclusion.
Cody Ware also penalized
Christopher Bell wasn’t the only driver affected by Friday’s inspection.
The No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford driven by Cody Ware also failed inspection twice.
NASCAR announced that car chief Dave Jones has likewise been ejected for the remainder of the weekend, while the No. 51 team also loses pit selection.
Aside from those two violations, the remainder of the Cup Series field successfully cleared inspection and was approved to continue with the Richmond race weekend schedule.