NASCAR Playoffs driver Martin Truex Jr. will start from the rear of the field for Sunday’s First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Martinsville Speedway after the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota failed pre-race inspection on Sunday morning.
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Truex was slated to start sixth in Sunday’s race as the defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion looks to break a 0-for-77 drought on short tracks in NASCAR’s top series. Truex’s qualifying speed from Saturday was disallowed and the team will forfeit their place in the order for pit-stall selection. He will now start 33rd, his worst starting position since Chicago in July.
Truex enters the race third in the standings and +23 over the cutline before the three-race Round of 8 begins. The other seven playoff cars passed pre-race inspection on the first try.
Early on Sunday afternoon, it was announced that the No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski would also be forced to the rear after undergoing unapproved adjustments. He had qualified seventh. Landon Cassill’s No. 99 Chevrolet also will go to the rear for the same reason.
Five other cars outside the playoff picture failed the mechanical measurements portion of Sunday’s inspection: The Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet of nine-time Martinsville winner Jimmie Johnson, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of David Ragan, the No. 23 Toyota of JJ Yeley, the No. 51 Chevrolet of Jeb Burton and the No. 66 Toyota of Timmy Hill. Ragan was set to start 14th on the grid, with Johnson originally qualifying 23rd. Yeley, Burton and Hill posted speeds in qualifying that had them at 34th, 36th and 37th on the grid initially.
The cars for Ragan and Hill failed twice, forcing the team to lose a crew member, typically a team’s car chief, at NASCAR’s discretion.
Two additional cars going to the rear: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet of Bubba Wallace and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford of Paul Menard. Wallace wrecked in qualifying and has to go to a backup car, while Menard’s car changed engines. Wallace’s backup car also did not pass inspection on the first go round.
Martinsville is an impound race and cars must pass on the first attempt to keep their starting spot since this inspection serves as both post-qualifying and pre-race inspection. The first failure results in a loss of starting spot and the qualifying time disallowed. Additional failures result in the loss of a car chief and the loss of points.