NASCAR has penalized the No. 20 team of Joe Gibbs Racing ahead of Saturday's race at Talladega Superspeedway.
According to a penalty report, the No. 20 violated the NASCAR Rule Book sections 14.4.8.2.E and 14.19.A. (Windshield perimeter must remain flush with body surface for the entire event). Aric Almirola will still qualify, but he will have to drop to the rear of the field for the start of the race.
Additionally, Almirola will have to serve a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag. This will prevent him from sticking with the pack of drivers and potentially falling one lap down early in the race.
This penalty could prevent Almirola from contending for his second consecutive win and his third of the season. However, it will not keep the No. 20 Toyota from reaching the next round of the owner's playoffs. It already has a secure spot after Almirola won the playoff opener at Kansas Speedway.
Almirola is set to control the No. 20 for the rest of the Xfinity Series season after sharing the entry with other drivers during the regular season. He will be the sole driver at Talladega and beyond while trying to deliver an owner's championship to Joe Gibbs.
If Almirola can prevent this penalty from disrupting his race, he will likely be in contention for a strong finish on Saturday. He has run well at superspeedways throughout his NASCAR career, and he has multiple superspeedway wins in multiple national series.
This run of success includes an Xfinity win at Talladega at 2017, a Cup Series win at Daytona in 2014, and a Cup Series win at Talladega in 2018.
The No. 20 of Joe Gibbs Racing will not be the only car dropping to the rear of the field for Saturday afternoon's race. Another will do so due to unexpected issues.
The No. 45 of Alpha Prime Racing will start from the rear after an engine failure during Caesar Bacarella's lap. This was a rare issue for an ECR engine, but it led to an engine change at Talladega.