Why Kyle Busch Got the Preferential Pit Selection Over Chase Elliott & Kevin Harvick Despite Qualifying Absence in Vegas

This year, the NASCAR officials will be utterly ruthless in their investigations. Any driver whose car fails pre-race inspection, will be sent to the back of the grid and lose their right to pit stall selection. However, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch inadvertently brought up an interesting dilemma. The #18 driver crashed out in practice and was forced to switch to a hastily-prepared spare car.

The interesting thing is that while he is sent to the back of the grid, he still has the right to choose his pit stall. Unfortunately, the same luxury does not extend to Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, and Josh Bilicki. Also joining them at the back are Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, and Daniel Hemric, as per the latest reports. Luckily for the last three, they can still keep their pit stall selection

What is pit stall selection and why can Kyle Busch choose his stall?

For the uninitiated, pit stall selection usually takes place after qualifying. The fastest qualifiers have the honor and luxury of choosing their pit stall first. However, in the case of penalized drivers, NASCAR will assign them stalls after the other teams have made their choice.

Since Kyle Busch does not have to worry about any technical infringement penalty, he is free to choose. Admittedly, even though Reddick, Custer, and Hemric got penalized, they have already chosen their pit stalls. So, Harvick, Elliott, Burton, Gilliland, and Bilicki will have to accept what the officials assign them.

One thing that does not change though, is that they will have to charge up the order from the back. Fortunately for drivers like Harvick, Elliott, and Busch, their cars are front-running cars. So, their journey from the back of the grid to the front should be easier, in theory. However, they are still susceptible to being caught up in wrecks in the midfield or the rear. So, they have to watch their backs.

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