Kansas Speedway: Crew Chief Ejections Impact McDowell and Van Gisbergen Ahead of Race
Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports team will face significant challenges at Kansas Speedway, as crew chief Travis Peterson has been ejected due to an inspection violation. Following a second round of inspections, NASCAR officials observed an unapproved adjustment made to the car’s splitter. Despite initially passing inspections, the reinstallation of struts resulted in the car failing inspection.
As a consequence, Peterson’s ejection carries multiple penalties for McDowell’s team: loss of pit stall selection, a mandatory rear-start for McDowell regardless of qualifying results, and an enforced stop-and-go penalty at the race’s outset.
McDowell participated in practice and qualifying on Saturday prior to the penalties being enforced. This ejection follows similar sanctions previously applied to Kaulig Racing at Nashville Superspeedway and Hendrick Motorsports at Daytona for comparable infractions.
Adding to the weekend’s disruption, Trackhouse Racing’s No. 88 team, driven by Shane van Gisbergen, also faced penalties for unapproved adjustments before Saturday practice. Crew chief Stephen Doran has been ejected for the weekend, and van Gisbergen will similarly start from the rear of the field and serve a stop-and-go penalty.
These developments underscore NASCAR’s stringent enforcement of inspection protocols, aiming to maintain competitive integrity in the series.
