Kyle Larson penalized at Talladega due to 'modified adjustment' to roof rails

Today at Talladega as the Cup Series drivers post fast laps, Kyle Larson will not be allowed to post a qualifying lap due to an adjustment. NASCAR spotted the team making an adjustment to the roof rails on the way to the grid.

Kyle Larson had won the last three pole awards in a row. Today, he won’t get a chance to try and make it four. It sounds like NASCAR has taken a serious tone with this situation. Possible penalties could be given out next week.

Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports broke the news on X/Twitter.

NEWS: Kyle Larson will not be allowed to qualify here at Dega. They made a modified adjustment to the roof rails as they pushed the car to the grid. Any further penalties to be announced later this week.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 20, 2024

This is not great news for Kyle Larson and his team. They already came into the weekend with two backup pit crew members due to that wheel that fell off the No. 5 last week. Now the team is going to get a bad pit stall and will start in the rear of the field.

Of course, it’s Talladega. Even if you start in the back, there is plenty of time to move up through the field. One line starts moving quicker than the other and you can pick up spots in a hurry.

Larson and his team were probably wanting to go for that fourth straight pole. They won’t even get a chance to do it.

Kyle Larson team won’t comment on roof rail penalty

Right now, it is unclear just how serious the infraction is here. Does it stop with Kyle Larson having his qualifying lap taken away? Does it include a fine later on? Or will we possibly see NASCAR come in and take points away before it’s all said and done?

What we do know – Cliff Daniels and Hendrick Motorsports are not talking about it. Yet. They want to discuss further with NASCAR before a comment is made.

Cliff Daniels and Hendrick Motorsports say they won’t comment on the roof rail situation on the No. 5 car until they finish speaking with NASCAR about the infraction.

— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) April 20, 2024

From what the TV broadcast conveyed, someone pulled or tugged at the roof rails. That is a big no-no for NASCAR. Once that car goes through tech, you can’t mess with anything on it. Not only that, but those roof rails are a safety feature on these superspeedway setups. They help keep the car on the ground when it gets sideways.

Starting behind to begin the weekend is not what Kyle Larson had in mind. Then again, Talladega is a track that Larson has had trouble with. He runs well but almost always finds a way to get wrecked out. Now he has even more issues to overcome than usual at the massive superspeedway.