Trackhouse seems to be testing its limits with NASCAR. Remember the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway earlier in the month? Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen made headlines for their post-race antics. Instead of following the traditional route to pit road, both drivers veered off the track and drove through the infield grass. This unusual behaviour drew immediate attention as NASCAR typically enforces strict protocols regarding vehicle movement on and off the track. Trackhouse Racing got away one time, but this time around in Kansas, they may not get away safe…

While no penalties were issued at the time, NASCAR made it clear that such actions could violate rules and pose risks to teams. The cooldown lap sparked questions about possible attempts to manipulate post-race inspection by adding debris to the cars. NASCAR officials took note of the incident, with Managing Director Brad Moran stating that it “ caught our radar.” However, as the garage heads to Race 2 of the Round of 12, NASCAR has run out of patience with SVG’s group and several others. It was literally raining penalties!

It is trouble in the pits for Shane van Gisbergen. NASCAR slapped him with another unapproved adjustment penalty following the same fate that hit Michael McDowell heading into Sunday’s race. During the practice session on Saturday, the No. 88 team made a tweak after inspections and got caught only after qualifying ended. That means Sunday just got a whole lot tougher.

SVG is staring down a laundry list of consequences: losing pit stall selection, starting at the rear, and serving a stop-and-go on pit road. On top of it all, crew chief Stephen Doran has been ejected for the weekend. SVG initially qualified 24th, and now is forced to take his car to the back of the field. Meanwhile, Michael McDowell will also drop from P21 to the back. And to fill Stephen’s void, SVG’s engineer, Chaise Eliason, will step in to guide the Kiwi.

SVG had shown flashes earlier this year, finishing P20 at Kansas and P14 at Richmond, with his last top 20 on an oval coming at Daytona. Reproducing those results with this penalty looming will be a serious uphill battle. If there is a silver lining, it is that SVG won’t face it alone. The 71 team is joining him in the stop-and-go penalties, sharing the weekend headache, but at least misery loves company.

NASCAR had flagged Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports car for unapproved splitter changes during its second inspection queue. The team attempted to refit the struts and ran the car through the Optical Scanning Station again, but it still failed due to the modification. Observers noted that McDowell’s team had already failed inspection twice before making the splitter adjustment, prompting NASCAR to eject crew chief Travis Peterson for the weekend.

These penalties hit hard, costing significant track position and leaving the teams without their leader on race day. Adding to the weekend woes, Cody Ware’s No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford failed inspection twice before finally clearing it on the third attempt. Despite passing the final check, car chief Dave Jones was ejected, and the team forfeited its pit stall selection, another major setback heading into the race.

But this one hurts more for SVG. SVG showed great might storming into the Round of 16, but due to poor results on ovals, the 33-year-old saw himself out of the title hunt, as he failed to meet the expectations of Trackhouse owner Justin Marks. However, the rest of the Trackhouse group is safe.

Trackhouse teammates keep their noses clean amid SVG penalty

At Kansas Speedway for the 2025 Hollywood Casino 400, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez faced distinct challenges in both practice and qualifying. Chastain, piloting the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, posted a practice lap time of 30.101 seconds, placing 32nd on the speed chart. His qualifying performance was slightly better, earning him the 31st starting position.

However, Suarez, driving the No. 99 Freeway.com Chevrolet, recorded a practice lap time of 30.157 seconds, positioning him 33rd. He qualified 30th, indicating a modest improvement over his practice session. As Suarez has the last 6 races left with Trackhouse, the 33-year-old veteran warns that Charlotte Roval will shake up the playoff standings . However, he is definitely looking to finish strong with Trackhouse as his Cup journey comes to an end.

However, these results underscore the ongoing struggles for Trackhouse Racing at intermediate tracks like Kansas. Despite their efforts, the team has found itself starting deep in the field, facing an uphill battle to gain track position. All eyes will be on the penalized drivers to see if they can write a comeback story for themselves.