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Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson will not be allowed to participate in the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.
Kyle Larson's momentum has come tumbling down in the last week. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, who was riding the wave of momentum leading up to the Texas Cup race last weekend, secured his third consecutive pole position.
However, a mid-race rear wheel trouble handed him a 2-lap penalty midway through the race and suspended a number of Larson's crew members for the GEICO 500 race in Talladega this Sunday. Doubling down on his troubles, Kyle Larson has now been disallowed from participating in the qualifying session for Sunday's main race.
According to NASCAR, officials discovered unapproved adjustments to the roof-rail section of Larson's No. 5 HMS Chevrolet as it was being pushed to the qualifying grid, prompting the car to be pulled from the qualifying order and returned to the garage.
This means that Kyle Larson will be forced to start Sunday's 188-lap event from the rear end of the pack. NASCAR officials have hinted at possible further penalties, with announcements expected next week.
What did Kyle Larson feel about Texas wheel incident and lackluster finish?
In the aftermath of the Texas wheel incident and his lackluster finish, Larson expressed his sentiments to Bob Pockrass. The former Cup champion said in a post-race interview:
"I wasn't too concerned. I knew we'd get back to the lead lap. Just, I wasn't that good. Once we got to the lead lap, I wasn't that good. So in the end, the strategy just didn't work out for us, staying long on that green flag."
"Some days are just not meant to be," he added. "But my car was really fast. I think had we not had the wheel issue, we would have been up in the top 2 all race long."
Despite starting from pole, Larson was relegated to a 21st-place finish last Sunday. In the aftermath, it was confirmed that Calvin Teague, the tire changer, and Brandon Johnson, responsible for the jack, were suspended for the next two Cup races as a consequence of the wheel loss incident.
Meanwhile, after nine races, Kyle Larson leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings. He has 335 points to his name, courtesy of four top-5 finishes and a victory in Las Vegas earlier this season.
