Joe Gibbs Racing determined that the issue that slowed Denny Hamlin in qualifying on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a faulty plug wire and two of the other four team cars are dropping to the rear to change theirs as a result.
Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs will join Denny Hamlin at the rear of the field due to changes that were described as a precautionary measure.
The other Gibbs driver, Christopher Bell, plus the other Toyota cars at 23XI Racing and Legacy Motor Club were not determined to have the same issue and did not make the unapproved change prior to the Quaker State 400.
Hamlin was two seconds off the pace in qualifying, which would have been disastrous if the issue didn’t manifest itself when it did and during the race instead, and it’s fortunate for all who made the swap over that this is a pack race where it’s more viable to drive through the field.
Hamlin is the sixth seed to start the 2024 playoffs while Gibbs and Truex are the 15th and 16th seeds respectively.