Joe Gibbs Racing appeared to have enjoyed a banner day at Pocono, but all that changed not long after the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 came to a close.
JGR drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch finished 1-2 in the race, but their cars failed postrace inspections. The Nos. 11 and 18 cars were disqualified, making third-place finisher Chase Elliott the winner of the race.
“We were shocked to learn of the infraction that caused our two cars to fail NASCAR’s post-race technical inspection. We plan to review every part of the process that led to this situation,” Joe Gibbs Racing said in a statement.
NASCAR said they discovered material on the front fascia of both cars that could impact the aerodynamics of the vehicles.
Exact quote from Brad Moran, "The part was the front fascia and there really was no reason why there was some material that was somewhere that it shouldn’t have been."
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) July 25, 2022
The issues were not found during pre-race inspections because NASCAR does not remove the wraps of cars before races.
NASCAR says the issues weren't found in prerace tech because they don't take the wrap off during prerace tech. Taking the wrap off in certain places is part of postrace tech.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 25, 2022
Both the Nos. 11 and 18 cars will be taken to NASCAR research and development for further inspection. The Nos. 34 and 47 cars were randomly selected to undergo the same process.
This is believed to be the first time since 1960 that a Cup Series winner was disqualified. Elliott ends up winning the race without ever having led a lap.
