Chase Contender Buescher Hit With Inspection Penalties At Gateway

Chris Buescher, who comes into Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 as the 11th seed in the NASCAR Cup Chase, will have to rebound from pre-race inspection penalties.

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For the second consecutive week, a NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship contender had issues getting through pre-race inspection. Last week, Ryan Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Ford failed pre-race technical inspection twice, which resulted in penalties.

This week at World Wide Technology Raceway, it was Chris Buescher's No. 17 RFK Racing Ford that experienced trouble in the inspection bay.

According to NASCAR, Buescher's No. 17 machine failed pre-race inspection twice in the garage area at the 1.25-mile facility. As a result, Buescher will lose pit selection for Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300, which means he will have the least enviable pit stall in the race. Additionally, Buescher's team will be without their car chief, Joshua Sisco, who was ejected due to the inspection drama.

Buescher, who started the Chase with a disappointing 20th-place finish last weekend at Darlington Raceway, comes into Sunday's race at Gateway sitting 11th in the Chase standings. Buescher sits at an 88-point deficit to Denny Hamlin, the series point leader.

Fortunately, Buescher's car past inspection on the third attempt, or that would have led to further penalties, including starting at the rear of the field, and a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag. That would have been a back-breaking penalty.

As Blaney showed with a fourth-place run last week, the penalties for failing inspection aren't necessarily a death sentence for a Chase driver. However, it is an inconvenience that a team would prefer to not have to navigate.

In addition to Buescher's No. 17 car, Cody Ware's No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet also failed pre-race inspection twice on Saturday. Ware will also lose pit selection, and the team's car chief Dave Jones has been ejected for the remainder of the race weekend.

The NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, the second of 10 races in the Chase for the Championship, is scheduled for Sunday, September 13. The race will be televised on USA Network with coverage set to kick off at 3 PM ET. The Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide the radio broadcast of the event.