Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson will not be hit with a penalty ahead of Sunday afternoon’s race at Circuit of the Americas after a key decision made by Hendrick Motorsports.
Larson has had a difficult start to 2026 so far, finishing 16th in the Daytona 500 season-openerand then 32nd after a wreck at Atlanta last week.
As a result, the reigning champion heads into Sunday’s race sitting 21st in the Cup Series standings with just 42 points on the board – not the start to his title defence that he would have wanted.
However, things nearly got even worse for Larson on Sunday morning, with his No. 5 Chevrolet showing abnormal readings relating to the engine when it was fired up, as per The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck.
Hendrick Motorsports makes Kyle Larson penalty decision
As a result of the abnormal data, Gluck reports that the team consulted NASCAR about what data they could access from the car.
However, NASCAR told Hendrick Motorsports that if they were to plug the car in and access the data, then they would be hit with a tail-end penalty and sent to the rear of the field ahead of the green flag this afternoon.
As a result of that threat, Hendrick Motorsports has made the decision not to take that penalty and plug the car in, instead opting to race with their car as it is.
Of course, this means Larson retains his 15th-place starting spot that he earned in qualifying on Saturday, but it does mean that the No. 5 Chevrolet is one to watch throughout the race for any potential issues.
If Larson does encounter any problems, Hendrick Motorsports may well wish they had plugged the car in after all.
NASCAR Cup Series COTA starting lineup
Here is the full starting lineup for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series action from COTA.
| Starting Pos | Driver | Car No. | Team (Manufacturer) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | #45 | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 2 | Ross Chastain | #1 | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe | #19 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | #12 | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | #9 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 6 | Michael McDowell | #71 | Spire Motorsports (Ford) |
| 7 | AJ Allmendinger | #16 | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 8 | Christopher Bell | #20 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs | #54 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 10 | William Byron | #24 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 11 | Zane Smith | #38 | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar | #77 | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 13 | Shane Van Gisbergen | #97 | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 14 | Chris Buescher | #17 | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 15 | Kyle Larson | #5 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 16 | Alex Bowman | #48 | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 17 | Todd Gilliland | #34 | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 18 | Cole Custer | #41 | Haas Factory Team (Ford) |
| 19 | Denny Hamlin | #11 | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 20 | Joey Logano | #22 | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 21 | Ty Dillon | #10 | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 22 | Josh Berry | #21 | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) |
| 23 | Daniel Suárez | #7 | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 24 | Bubba Wallace | #23 | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 25 | Connor Zilisch | #88 | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 26 | Brad Keselowski | #6 | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 27 | Jesse Love | #33 | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 28 | Austin Cindric | #2 | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 29 | Ryan Preece | #60 | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 30 | Kyle Busch | #8 | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 31 | John Hunter Nemechek | #42 | Legacy Motor Club (Chevrolet) |
| 32 | Riley Herbst | #35 | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 33 | Austin Dillon | #3 | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 34 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #47 | HYAK Motorsports (Ford) |
| 35 | Noah Gragson | #4 | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 36 | Erik Jones | #43 | Legacy Motor Club (Chevrolet) |
| 37 | Cody Ware | #51 | Rick Ware Racing (Ford) |