Joey Logano faces severe NASCAR penalty for glove safety violation

Joey Logano and Penske faces the prospect of a severe penalty next week as a result of a safety violation prior to Sunday's NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

During Sunday's pre-race inspection, Logano's team was discovered to have driver gloves that did not meet SFI specifications.

The gloves were not only a safety violation but also a competitive issue, as the gloves were discovered to have been altered to provide a potential competitive advantage.

Allegedly, the team webbed his gloves between the thumb and index finger so he could place it against the holes in the window net, potentially to reduce drag during the full-throttle qualifying lap.

The issue falls under Section 14.3.1.1 of the NASCAR Cup Series rule book.

For Sunday's race, Logano - who qualified second for the race - will have to drop to the rear of the field and will have to serve a drive through penalty after he takes the green flag.

The team also faces potential serious NASCAR penalties for the competitive aspect of the violation, which will be announced next week.

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang

Photo by: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Images

During the Fox Sports broadcast of Cup qualifying on Saturday, Logano could be seen taking his left hand off his steering wheel and sliding it out the driver's side window net.

In addition, Cup driver Chase Elliott will have to start Sunday's race from the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.