William Byron will start at the back in Sunday’s (local time) NASCAR Cup Series race after his #24 Hendrick Motorsports entry failed pre-race inspection at the Indianapolis Road Course.
The #24 Chevrolet Camaro failed inspection three times at The Brickyard, meaning it is barred from Qualifying and will also have to undertake a drive-through penalty on Lap 1 of the race.
Byron furthermore loses the services of car chief Tyler Jones for the weekend and also pit selection, which is based on qualifying results.
Fortunately for the 2017 Xfinity Series champion, he is already locked into this year’s Cup Series Playoffs, with his four wins so far in 2023 being the greatest haul of any driver in the field.
He is currently third in the points standings, though, as he chases the Regular Season title and the 15 Playoff points which come with it.
Byron won at Atlanta but has not finished any higher than 14th in the four races which have been held since then.
Three races remain in the Cup Series Regular Season, with the field moving on to another road course in the form of Watkins Glen next weekend, then Daytona on the following Saturday.
Practice starts on Saturday at 11:35 ET/Sunday at 01:35 AEST, followed by Qualifying at 12:35 ET/02:35 AEST.
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