NASCAR driver dealt penalty ahead of Kansas playoff race

NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

NASCAR driver dealt crippling penalty ahead of Kansas playoff race

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 6:20 PM ET

NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell will have an uphill battle in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

What led to Michael McDowell's penalty

Per Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, the No. 71 Spire Motorsports team made unapproved adjustments to the splitter on McDowell's No. 71 Chevrolet following tech inspection on Saturday.

Crew chief Travis Petersen was ejected from the speedway, while McDowell will have to start Sunday's race (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the rear of the field and serve a drive-through penalty after the green flag. Per Pockrass, veteran crew chief Matt McCall will be atop McDowell's pit box on Sunday.

Michael McDowell has to drop to the rear of the field and has a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green tomorrow and crew chief Travis Peterson has been ejected from the weekend for the team making an unapproved adjustment to the splitter after passing tech.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 27, 2025

McDowell qualified 21st on Saturday, but his qualifying time is null following the penalty. McDowell also lost pit stall selection due to the penalty.

McDowell was 16th-fastest in Saturday's lone Cup Series practice session. He finished 23rd at Kansas on May 11.

In his first season with Spire Motorsports, McDowell is 25th in the Cup Series standings through 30 of 36 races. The 2021 Daytona 500 champion is looking for his fourth consecutive top-20 finish on Sunday, and is hoping to build on an eighth-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 21.

However, McDowell's path to a solid finish is significantly steeper with the penalty.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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