Bell, Ware lose pit-stall picks after Richmond inspection misses
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 15, 2026
Bell penalties
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell started the Richmond weekend with a penalty that cost his team pit-stall selection and removed Chris Sherwood from the No. 20 Toyota. The car failed pre-race inspection twice at Richmond Raceway before passing on the third attempt, and NASCAR announced the sanction while Cup Series practice was already underway. Bell entered the event sixth in the standings after finishing second at Iowa, and his seven runner-up finishes in 2026 matched Harry Gant’s 1981 mark for the most all-time without a win. That season context gave the inspection miss added weight for Bell and his crew, who arrived with one of the stronger runs on the recent schedule but still had to absorb a setback before qualifying. The No. 20 team had to move forward without the pit-stall choice it wanted and without one of its personnel, all before the car had a chance to settle into the rest of the Richmond program. The penalty did not change Bell’s place in the standings right away, but it did change the setup around his race day at a time when the calendar was narrowing toward the playoff cutoff.
Ware penalties hit No. 51
Rick Ware Racing faced the same inspection problem on the No. 51 Chevrolet. The car failed pre-race inspection twice at Richmond Raceway before getting through on the third try, and NASCAR took away pit-stall selection from the team. Dave Jones also was ejected from the No. 51 Chevrolet. Cody Ware came into the race 35th in points, so the penalty landed on a team already carrying a tough position in the standings. Like Bell’s group, Ware’s team took the ruling while practice was underway and had qualifying still ahead of it. That left little time between the announcement and the next piece of on-track activity. The repeated inspection failures meant the No. 51 crew had to reset after two misses and a successful third pass, then turn its attention to the rest of the day without the benefit of choosing a stall. For a smaller team fighting through the order, every piece of the weekend schedule mattered, and this one started with a setback in the garage and a personnel loss before the car could roll for qualifying.
Cup Series playoff picture
The penalties arrived with three races left before the Cup Series playoff field was set. That timing put both teams under pressure, because Richmond sat inside a stretch that would shape who stayed in position and who had more ground to make up. NASCAR made the announcement during practice, then sent the field toward qualifying with both the No. 20 Toyota and the No. 51 Chevrolet already marked by inspection trouble. Each car had failed twice before passing on the third attempt, and each team lost pit-stall selection before the race. Bell’s case carried the added note of his season form, with the Iowa runner-up finish and the seven second-place results in 2026 that tied Harry Gant’s 1981 total for the most all-time without a victory. Ware’s situation was different, with the 35th-place standing underscoring the work still ahead. The common thread was the same, though. Both teams had to handle the penalties immediately, keep working through practice and then get ready for qualifying with less room to recover than they wanted.
