No. 41 crew member ejected from Gateway after pre-race inspection failures

An engineer on the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford was ejected from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway after the vehicle failed NASCAR Cup Series pre-race technical inspection twice on Saturday. Engineer Marc Hendricksen was ejected from the event, officials announced Saturday afternoon, leaving driver Cole Custer and his No. 41 team short one crew member for Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). MORE: Gateway schedule | At-track photos Additionally, the No. 41 team lost its pit selection for Sunday's 240-lapper and will have its pit stall chosen by NASCAR officials. On Friday, Haas Factory Team announced its 2026 plans to pivot from Ford to Chevrolet, joining a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. The team also confirmed Custer's return to the No. 41 car in the Cup Series, while Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer will respectively return to the Nos. 00 and 41 cars in the soon-to-be-rebranded NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, currently known as the Xfinity Series.