Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports have been hit with penalties ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. The issues came up during the pre-qualifying inspection.Kyle Larson鈥檚 No. 5 Chevrolet failed pre-qualifying inspection twice before finally passing on the third try. While the team avoided a more serious pass-through penalty during the race, the back-to-back inspection failures triggered immediate sanctions from NASCAR.Jesse Saunders, Larson鈥檚 car chief, has been ejected from the Atlanta event and won鈥檛 be allowed to participate for the remainder of the weekend. In addition, the team has lost its pit stall selection.Larson鈥檚 penalty comes at a bad time for Hendrick Motorsports. The team is already under scrutiny following a separate penalty issued after last weekend鈥檚 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono. There, the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 鈥 driven by Chase Elliott 鈥 was found to have violated NASCAR鈥檚 regulations. The result was a $40,000 fine, a crew chief suspension for three races, and the loss of points.The Atlanta penalties specifically affect Kyle Larson鈥檚 chances this weekend. Losing pit stall selection means the No. 5 crew will be stuck with whatever option remains after all other teams have chosen theirs.The weather has also disrupted qualifying. Due to rain and lightning delays, NASCAR shortened the session to one round. Larson will be the 36th car to take the track for qualifying, which is far from ideal. Earlier this season, he qualified 17th at Atlanta. Since the track鈥檚 reconfiguration, his best starting position there is third.What happened to Kyle Larson at Talladega still looms large- the scariest crash in NASCARLast year, Kyle Larson was involved in one of the most frightening crashes in recent NASCAR memory. The wreck took place during lap 48 of the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and involved five cars. Ross Chastain moved into the middle lane and collided with Noah Gragson, who then hit the wall. That triggered a crash as Larson鈥檚 car spun into the grass, reentered the traffic lane, and was T-boned on the right side by Ryan Preece.The crash was violent. According to AP, the hit was so hard that Preece鈥檚 helmet visor flipped open. It raised serious safety concerns across the garage. Kyle Larson, already a top-tier driver with a 2021 Cup title, became one of the loudest voices on the issue.鈥淵ou see things that could have easily gotten me in the car, whether it be the bars that had completely broken off and could have shanked me. Or what if I had a second impact?鈥 Larson told AP. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no other form of racing, in my opinion, that takes safety more seriously than them, but that doesn鈥檛 mean the sport is safe.鈥滵espite that terrifying crash, Kyle Larson returned to form and continues to be one of NASCAR鈥檚 most consistent and skilled drivers. But the memory of the Talladega incident lingers, especially when his team faces pressure situations like this weekend鈥檚 penalties.