Two NASCAR Cup Series teams failed pre-race technical inspection on Saturday afternoon, leading to penalties ahead of Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350.
The No. 60 RFK Racing Ford for driver Ryan Preece and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford for driver Todd Gilliland both failed inspection twice on Saturday. As a result, both teams’ car chiefs were ejected for the balance of the weekend and lost the ability to select their pit stalls for Sunday’s race at Iowa Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Car chief Jerry Cook was ejected from the No. 60 team alongside the No. 34 car chief Joe Marra.
MORE: Iowa weekend hub | At-track photos
Preece enters the weekend 17th in the points standings, 38 points outside the 16th and provisional final spot in The Chase with just four races remaining in the regular season. Preece earned his first win in Cup competition through the exhibition Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in February but is still seeking his first points-paying victory at the sport’s top level. He finished fifth in his first Iowa appearance with RFK Racing last season and earned his first career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win in 2017 at Iowa.
Gilliland returns from the off weekend with a fresh $1 million in tow. The Front Row racer won the second annual In-Season Challenge by beating Ryan Blaney at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to claim the million-dollar prize. Gilliland is 23rd in the Cup Series standings and has a best finish of 12th at Iowa in 2024.
Gilliland posted the fourth-fastest lap in Saturday’s 50-minute practice while Preece was 35th of 36 entrants.