A NASCAR Cup Series team has been dealt a brutal setback ahead of Sunday's race at Phoenix Raceway after a triple penalty was confirmed.
Zane Smith qualified 24th in Saturday's qualifying session. However, later in the afternoon, NASCAR confirmed three punishments for the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team after a crew member was caught making unapproved adjustments to their car ahead of the session.
NASCAR RESULTS TODAY: Live Cup Series at Phoenix coverage including stage winners and points
"The No. 38 in the NASCAR Cup Series was observed making an unapproved adjustment to the underbody during practice/pre-qualifying adjustments," a NASCAR statement read.
Unapproved adjustments after going through technical inspection are illegal, and therefore, NASCAR has come down hard.
NASCAR RACE TODAY: Cup Series at Phoenix start times, schedule, TV channel and live stream
Triple NASCAR penalty for Front Row Motorsports
First of all, Smith will be sent to the rear of the field ahead of the green flag on Sunday, undoing all of the work he had done in qualifying.
Secondly, despite starting at the back, Smith must perform a drive-through penalty after taking the green flag, which is another blow for the 26-year-old.
NASCAR also confirmed that the car chief of the No. 38, Will Norris, had been ejected from Phoenix Raceway for the remainder of this weekend's event, meaning that Smith will also be without a key member of his team for Sunday's race.
Phoenix startling lineup
As a result of the above, today's starting lineup now looks like this.
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team (Manufacturer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Logano (#22) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 2 | Kyle Larson (#5) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 3 | Austin Cindric (#2) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 4 | Daniel Suarez (#7) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney (#12) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 6 | Ross Chastain (#1) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 7 | Carson Hocevar (#77) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick (#45) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 9 | William Byron (#24) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 10 | Josh Berry (#21) | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (#11) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 12 | Christopher Bell (#20) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 13 | Ryan Preece (#60) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 14 | Ty Gibbs (#54) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 15 | John H. Nemechek (#42) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 16 | Michael McDowell (#71) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 17 | Chris Buescher (#17) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 18 | Shane Van Gisbergen (#97) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 19 | Connor Zilisch (#88) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 20 | Chase Briscoe (#19) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 21 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (#47) | HYAK Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 22 | Riley Herbst (#35) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 23 | AJ Allmendinger (#16) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 24 | Austin Dillon (#3) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 25 | Chase Elliott (#9) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 26 | Austin Hill (#33) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 27 | Bubba Wallace (#23) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 28 | Kyle Busch (#8) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 29 | Todd Gilliland (#34) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 30 | Anthony Alfredo (#48) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 31 | Erik Jones (#43) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 32 | Ty Dillon (#10) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 33 | Cody Ware (#51) | Rick Ware Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 34 | Noah Gragson (#4) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 35 | Cole Custer (#41) | Haas Factory Team (Chevrolet) |
| 36 | Brad Keselowski (#6) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 37 | Zane Smith (#38) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
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