Harvick’s car fails inspection and earns Bristol penalty

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Kevin Harvick has been penalized before the start of Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway because his car failed inspection three times.

His engineer was ejected from the event and Harvick lost his 13th-place starting position. He must start at the back of the field at the .533-mile bullring and immediately serve a pass-thru penalty on pit road. It will be nearly impossible for Harvick not to be lapped during the sequence.

NASCAR moved the start of the race up by eight minutes in preparation for potential rain during the event.

Chase Elliott and William Byron will lead the field to green in an all-Hendrick Motorsports front row. The organization is still seeking its first win of the season, as is manufacturer Chevrolet.

Through seven races this season, only Joe Gibbs Racing in Toyotas and Team Penske in Fords have won Cup events.

Kyle Busch is the defending race winner, and his Gibbs teammate Erik Jones is racing for a $1 million donation to Children’s Miracle Network through the Ace Hardware Foundation if he wins.

Darrell Waltrip will give his trademark “Boogity! Boogity! Boogity! Let’s go racing, boys!” call to start the race from the flagstand. Bristol made him the honorary starter to recognize his upcoming retirement as Fox Sports’ lead analyst.