JOLIET, ILLINOIS - JULY 03: Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Veterans 1001/Delaware Life Chevrolet, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #47 Pylon Aviation Chevrolet, drive during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 03, 2026 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) | Getty Images
JOLIET, ILLINOIS - JULY 03: Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Veterans 1001/Delaware Life Chevrolet, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #47 Pylon Aviation Chevrolet, drive during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 03, 2026 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) | Getty Images
#5 Hendrick Motorsports #71 Spire Motorsports 2026 Chicagoland Race All News Cup News Kyle Larson Michael McDowell

Michael McDowell and Kyle Larson hit with pre-race inspection penalties

July 4, 2026 at 5:54 PM

Pre-race inspection is complete in the NASCAR Cup Series garage.

  • No. 71 failed inspection three times
    •  Michael McDowell will drop to the rear of the field prior to the start of tomorrow’s race, and he’ll have to serve a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag, and his car chief (Travis Young) has been ejected for the remainder of the race event. Additionally, the team was not permitted to qualify.
  • No. 5 failed inspection twice
    • Car chief Jesse Saunders has been ejected, and the team will lose pit selection for this weekend.

— NASCAR —