NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Travis Mack has been ejected from Martinsville Speedway ahead of Saturday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 because of improperly attached weight on the #99 Trackhouse Racing entry driven by Daniel Suarez. As a result, Suarez will have to drop to the back from his 11th-place official starting position for the initial green flag.
Ballast was discovered in the jackpost of the car during pre-race inspection. Jose Blasco-Figueroa will fill in as Suarez’s crew chief in Mack’s absence. He also filled in for Mack at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 21 as Mack served a suspension for two loose or missing lug nuts in the previous race at Phoenix Raceway.
Suarez was docked 10 driver points and the team was penalized 10 owner points. No other penalties are expected.
The Martinsville race is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET start, but the weather forecast is not favorable for an on-time start or completion of the scheduled 500 laps Saturday night.
