Two NASCAR Cup Series teams have encountered an early setback at Pocono Raceway, and they will both move forward without select members of the team.
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The No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro of Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro of Live Fast Motorsports both failed pre-race inspection twice on Saturday. As a result, both teams lost pit stall selection for the event and a member of the crew.
NASCAR ejected the No. 5's car chief, Jesse Saunders for the remainder of the weekend. NASCAR ejected an engineer, Chris Stanley, from the No. 78 team.
Both cars passed on the third attempt, so Kyle Larson and Daniel Dye avoided having to serve pass-through penalties at the start of Sunday's race (1 p.m. ET on Prime Video). They also had the opportunity to qualify.
More importantly for Dye is that he had an opportunity to practice at a track where he has no Cup Series experience. He completed 15 laps as a member of Group A, and he posted a fastest lap of 54.709 seconds.
Dye made his Cup Series debut at Talladega earlier this season while driving for Live Fast Motorsports. Now, he takes on Pocono for the first time at NASCAR's top level.
Larson went out during the second group of practice at the track where he has made 18 starts at NASCAR's top level. He quickly posted the fastest lap of the session and then he continued logging laps.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver continues to seek his first Cup Series win at Pocono Raceway. He has 10 top-10 finishes and five top-fives in 18 starts at the Tricky Triangle, but he has yet to find victory lane.
Larson had the lead on the final lap of a doubleheader race at Pocono in 2021, but he blew a tire. Teammate Alex Bowman made the race-winning pass while Larson faded to ninth. One day later, he finished second behind Kyle Busch.
