Martin Truex Jr. led early at Kansas Speedway, but he suffered a penalty on a restart and lost the lead.
The No. 78 went below the white line before crossing the start finish line and was penalized!
The No. 4 did as well, but was not. pic.twitter.com/hZMDLmYgOa
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 22, 2017
Related: Paul Menard may not make today's race at Kansas for a very good reason
NBC NASCAR analyst Steve Letarte explained that Truex went below the white line before he was allowed to do so, and he was penalized.
Listen in as @NASCARonNBC's @SteveLetarte explains the restart violation on #TruexJr. pic.twitter.com/SYF8xdn4LS
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 22, 2017
Kevin Harvick also went below the white line and followed Truex, but he wasn't penalized because he wasn't the one to establish himself below the white line. He was simply following Truex, so only Truex received the penalty.
The good news for Truex is that he already has a win this round and has clinched a spot in the Round of 8. Of course, he certainly wants a win today, but it's not as if the penalty will ruin his championship aspirations.