There was literally nothing any of these drivers could have done. With a huge group of cars coming to pit road, Jamie McMurray and Jeffrey Earnhardt had huge contact that brought out the yellow flag.
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The yellow flag came out just before the group of cars crossed the line, and the yellow flag automatically closes pit road.
.@DaleJr, @KyleLarsonRacin and @chaseelliott among those penalized.@NASCARonNBC explains it. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/zeGxuBAXVi
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 15, 2017
Not all of the cars could bail on their pit stop soon enough and had no choice but to go down pit lane. NASCAR allows this without penalty if a driver rolls through, but if they stop and complete the pit stop, they are penalized by having to start from the back of the pack.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott headlined the penalized drivers.