One Playoff contender will drop to the rear before Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Playoff Round of 8 contender Martin Truex Jr.
Truex’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing machine failed pre-race tech twice. Truex, who was scheduled to start fifth, will drop to the rear on the pace laps. For official scoring purposes and fantasy NASCAR game purposes, Truex will be scored from his original fifth-place starting spot.
In addition to Truex, only Rick Ware Racing’s No. 53 car — driven by James Davison — failed pre-race inspection multiple times. Davison, who was set to start 33rd, will drop to the rear on the pace laps as well.
Truex spoke about his thoughts on dropping to the rear on Sunday:
Martin Truex Jr. will give up his spot on the third row and drop to the rear on the pace laps today for two prerace tech failures at Kansas. His thoughts on having to come from the rear: pic.twitter.com/l2KUzOiYF3
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 18, 2020
Sunday’s event is the opening of three races in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8. After that three race stretch, the Playoff field will be shrunk to four, and those four drivers will battle it out in Phoenix for the championship.
Truex has made the Championship 4 in four of the last five seasons, and he won the championship in 2017.
While he starts behind the eight-ball on Sunday, Truex has 400 miles to make up the ground he has lost.
