Rudy Fugle, William Byron's crew chief, was ejected by NASCAR for an inspection violation on Friday, leaving the team without its crew leader for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Dayton, Fla. this weekend.
The No 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was seen having adjustments made to the splitter at the front end following a passed inspection, leading to further adjustments to the struts, which NASCAR tested and found to be in violation of measurement standards.
Fugle was ejected, and the team lost its pit-stall selection. In addition, Byron will start from the rear and must serve a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag.
Byron leads the NSACAR Cup Series standings with 839 points.
The team announced that engineer Brandon McSwain would be the interim crew chief.
The No 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevy driven by BJ McLeod was also penalised for failing two inspections. Team chief Lee Leslie was likewise ejected, with the team also losing its pit-stall choice.