Sean Gardner | Getty Images
The No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford failed Saturday’s pre-qualifying inspection four times, drawing multiple penalties from NASCAR Cup Series officials at Sonoma Raceway.
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NASCAR officials did not allow driver Cody Ware to participate in Saturday’s Busch Pole Qualifying, putting the No. 51 at the back of the field for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM). Ware will also have to serve a pass-through penalty at the soonest opportunity after Sunday’s green flag. NASCAR also ejected No. 51 engineer Steve Gray for the remainder of the weekend.
Further penalties beyond the in-weekend punishment will be announced in next week’s penalty report. Those could include points deductions, fines, and/or team roster suspensions.
One other team had multiple inspection failures, as the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford for driver Scott Heckert failed twice. Officials ejected Chris Stanley, an engineer with the No. 78 team.
I like a challenge… In all seriousness a tough way to start the weekend, but Im confident we will learn what we can and practice and fight hard to bounce back early in the cup race. Always proud of my @NurtecODT @RickWareRacing gang https://t.co/cKFSBx5YIK
— Cody Ware (@CodyShaneWare) June 11, 2022