Logano was initially going to start in second
Joey Logano was set to start the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on the front row alongside Michael McDowell, but he was moved to the back of the pack due to an odd rules violation.
NASCAR said right before the race that Logano "will drop to the rear and serve a pass-through penalty at the start of today’s race due to violating rule 14.3.1.1 of the NASCAR Rule Book (gloves do not meet SFI specification)."
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Joey Logano during qualifying for the running of the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 on Feb. 24, 2024, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. (effrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Chase Elliott was also moved to the back "for unapproved adjustments."
Larry McReynolds, a FOX NASCAR analyst, said on "FOX RaceDay" that Logano was penalized for a safety violation. He said each piece of gear a driver has needs to be "SFI rated" – which is a safety rating.
Joey Logano, No. 22, races in turn 4 with Michael McDowell, No. 34, during the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, 2024, in Florida. (Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"The glove that Joey had on his left hand it was not SFI rated," McReynolds said. "Everybody does this at super speedways in qualifying. They put that left hand up there (by the safety net) to try and block some air.
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"Evidently, NASCAR deemed it that the glove he had on yesterday was not something he would do in the race, but it was not SFI rated. You can do what Joey did there – everybody does it. But the glove was not SFI rated and that was a safety violation."
Logano was on the pole at the Daytona 500 and had another good run in qualifying before the Atlanta race.
Joey Logano waves to the crowd prior to the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19, 2024. (Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
McDowell will now have Todd Gilliland and Kyle Busch behind him. He was the only driver to break the 31-second mark.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
