Two of the Big 3 are going to have to race their way from the rear of the field if they want to win Sunday’s second Pocono race.
The Big 3 has dominated the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in ways that have left other teams wondering if they’ll ever slip up. On Saturday, they got a bit of a bobble from Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch during qualifying for the Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Harvick and Kyle Busch qualified 1-2 for Sunday’s race, but both teams were penalized during the post-qualifying inspection process. As a result, Daniel Suarez inherits the Busch Pole Award, his first as a Cup Series driver, and the two winningest drivers of 2018 will start from the rear of the field. NASCAR.com reports that Harvick’s No. 4 failed the body scan during inspection, while Busch’s No. 18 Toyota had an issue with its chassis.
The full starting grid will be revealed once the post-qualifying inspection process is complete for the entire garage. Martin Truex Jr., the final member of the Big 3, had the 14th-fastest qualifying time and stands to start the race 12th as long as there are no further penalties.
Not even poor starting spots have hampered Harvick and Kyle Busch this season, as both have shown the ability to overcome them and run up front later in races during the rare weekends they experience a setback. Still, it could make a difference in the Gander Outdoors 400 to start so far behind Truex, as he won the first Pocono Cup Series race back in June.
Kyle Larson, who finished second to Truex in that race, should start second on Sunday due to the penalties. Coverage of the Gander Outdoors 400 from Pocono Raceway is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. on NBCSN.