It’s two weekends into the NASCAR regular season, and Kurt Busch has every right to wonder what he got himself into at 23XI Racing.

Someone, or several people, messed up on Friday and couldn’t get Busch’s #45 Toyota Camry successfully inspected the first three times. It will cost him Sunday at Fontana by sending the 33-time Cup Series race winner to the back of the pack and likely leaving him one lap in less than two laps in the Wise Power 400.

Busch was the victim of an uncomfortable conversation with the boss this month. So excuse him if he feels compelled to call Michael Jordan and tell him to get to the bottom of the nonsense.

Kurt Busch will start at the back, then take a quick extra penalty

NASCAR said Kurt Busch’s car failed three inspections Friday at Auto Club Speedway. As a rule, Busch cannot participate in qualifying on Saturday. It also costs him the right to choose his pit and sends Busch to the back of the 36-car starting field.

And that’s not even the worst. Busch must also take an overtaking penalty after the start of Sunday’s Cup Series race, making it entirely possible that he could drop a lap almost immediately. The only positive is that he would probably get the lucky pass if the warning flag went out in the first 30 or so laps.

The #23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace, Busch’s teammate at 23XI Racing, failed two inspections. Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and BJ McLeod suffered the same fate, NASCAR reported, and the penalty is the loss of a crew member for the race and the inability to choose a pit.

Had Busch’s car failed inspection the fourth time on the line, the penalty would have been devastating: a minimum or 25-point deduction in the standings, which could be the difference between qualifying for the playoffs or not. of 16 cars. Matt DiBenedetto’s margin, sixteenth, of 17^and– finisher Chris Buescher in last season’s regular season standings had just 26 points.

Kurt Busch dReserve some answers

Veteran driver Kurt Busch, 43, came to 23XI Racing in the offseason and made his points race debut finishing 19^and last week in the Daytona 500. Before that, however, he bombed the Busch Light Clash in Los Angeles by not coming out of the heats.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Busch said he contacted team owner Michael Jordan quickly rather than waiting for the retired NBA legend to contact him.

“I texted her after that Charles Barkley gif. It was when he said ‘Terrible, terrible,’” Busch said. “So, I texted MJ to clear things up, like, you can come with me anytime, and you’re gonna get a straight and honest response.

“And he said, ‘What are you going to do to fix it? I said, ‘I’m going to the race shop tomorrow morning, Wednesday at the simulator. Our work is never done here.

Now, however, the Air Jordan is on the other foot. Busch’s crew was only able to pass their car’s inspection on the fourth try. Teammate Bubba Wallace’s car needed three looks. Someone should have called Jordan first thing Saturday to ask some tough questions. Busch would have been entitled to be the appellant.

The inspection process can be finicky

▶” src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/mHxbqL6PCHQ?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; automatic reading; clipboard-write; encrypted media; gyroscope; picture in picture” allow full screen >

Twenty-nine NASCAR Cup Series cars passed inspection at Fontana on either the first or second test Friday. Kurt Busch’s car was the only one of 36 to require four attempts, so the blame lies with the 23XI Racing team.

However, the inspection process can sometimes be weird in the era of the optical scanning station which debuted in 2018. The station mainly consists of an array of cameras and projectors that create a 3D map of the car. The computers analyze several measurements looking for anything that seems wrong, judging by this manufacturer’s model.

A car that is too high or too low can be a sign of unapproved suspension modifications. A tilted fin a few millimeters out of acceptable range or a misaligned deck lid quickly show up.

One complaint that comes up several times a season, however, is that the position of the car inside the scanner can make a difference. A circulating story is that Bubba Wallace’s Toyota failed inspection the second time around at the 2021 Daytona 500 and then passed the next time, even though the crew allegedly made no adjustments.

Like Sportscasting on Facebook. Follow us on twitter @sportscasting19.

RELATED: Kurt Busch Texted Michael Jordan After Trouble During A Recent Race And Received A Harsh Response From Him On Air