NASCAR Cup Series teams hit with penalties after failing pre-race inspection at Gateway

Some trouble before the engines even fired up in Illinois: two NASCAR Cup Series teams failed pre-race technical inspection multiple times on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

That unfortunate double-fail hit the No. 17 RFK Racing team of driver Chris Buescher, alongside the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing machine driven by Cody Ware. Both operations were caught out during Saturday afternoon checks.

The penalty is immediate and painful. Because of the double failures, both teams lose their pit-stall selection for Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300, which stands as the second of 10 races in The Chase presented by Mobil 1.

There is more. The trouble also cost both outfits their car chiefs for the remainder of the race weekend, with No. 17 car chief Joshua Sisco and No. 51 car chief Dave Jones both ejected.

Coming into the weekend, Buescher sits 11th in The Chase standings and finds himself 88 points behind series leader Denny Hamlin. His history at the Illinois track shows steady progress with finishes of 12th, 14th, and a ninth-place run last year for his first top 10 at the venue.

Down the order, Cody Ware holds 35th in the standings and previously finished 29th in last year's Gateway race.