Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s rocky return to NASCAR continues.
Earnhardt will be forced to start from the back of the field in the Auto Club 400 due to a cut on his right-front tire that was discovered early Sunday.
MORE: Starting lineup for the Auto Club 400
Earnhardt qualified 18th, but NASCAR requires all drivers to start on the same tires they used for qualifying. If they have to replace damaged tires, then they're forced to start from the rear. Earnhardt is only allowed to change the cut tire — not all four.
My RF tire has a cut in it. @GoodyearRacing suggests we replace and start last. pic.twitter.com/d1AUZR9e5p
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 26, 2017
He won't be the only high-profile driver in the rear, however. Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano will join him after Johnson was involved in a single-car incident during practice and chose to sit out of qualifying. Logano was unable to clear inspection and sat out, as well.
For Earnhardt, though, this is another blow to an already poor start to 2017. He has yet to have a top-10 finish, having finished 37th, 30th, 16th, 14th in his five races, respectively.