Christopher Bell’s quest to become just the seventh driver in the modern era (1972-present) to score four-consecutive victories in the NASCAR Cup Series will begin with a bit of adversity.
Bell, who qualified 13th for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, will be one of the few cars that have to drop to the rear prior to the start of the race due to unapproved adjustments on his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE.
The issue on Bell’s car pertained to the throttle body, which had to be changed out following Saturday’s qualifying session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As a result, Bell will be credited with the 13th starting position, but will have to drop to the rear of the field during the pace laps ahead of Sunday’s race.
Bell, who comes into this race on a three-race winning streak, has scored victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, and Phoenix Raceway, where he won in a photo finish over his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.
John Hunter Nemechek, who is driving a special Backstreet Boys No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota Camry XSE this weekend, will also drop to the rear with Bell due to issues with the throttle body of his machine, which had to be addressed after qualifying on Saturday.
Nemechek turned the 30th-fastest lap in Saturday’s qualifying session. While he’ll be officially credited with the starting spot, he’ll also have to drop to the rear prior to the green flag of Sunday’s Pennzoil 400.
Ryan Blaney was already set to start the day from the final position on the starting grid — 36th — and that will continue to be the case as he’ll also have to drop to the rear prior to the green flag of Sunday’s race.
Blaney cut a right rear tire down in Turn 2 during practice for the Pennzoil 400. The cut tire sent his No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse skidding and he would back the car into the outside wall.
While his Team Penske organization was able to swap out the rear clip on his race car, which prevented him from having to go to a backup car, the unapproved adjustments will send him to the rear of the field ahead of Sunday’s race.
Prior to the crash in practice, Blaney was happy with his car, and after a trip to the infield car center, he was hopeful that his No. 12 team could fix the damage on the car. They were able to do so, now, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion will look to put on an incredible rally in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400.
On Sunday morning, NASCAR also listed Riley Herbst, the Rookie of the Year contender who drives the No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who drives the No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet to the list of drivers and teams who will go to the rear prior to the green flag in the Pennzoil 400 due to unapproved adjustments.
