If you noticed that a number of cars were late answering the bell for opening Sprint Cup practice on Thursday, look no farther than unapproved parts NASCAR inspectors found on 16 cars.
NASCAR required more than a third of the Coke Zero 400 field to change out non-conforming spacers that support the hinge bars of the roof flaps on the cars. The flaps are designed to keep cars from getting airborne in the event of a spin.
Cars that used spacers differing from those included in the NASCAR-approved hinged air deflector kits were the Chevrolet of Jamie McMurray; the Fords of reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski, Casey Mears, Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne; and the Toyotas of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr. and Michael Waltrip.
The offending parts were displayed in the NASCAR hauler in the garage for anyone who cared to look. NASCAR will review the violations at next week’s competition meeting and decide what punitive action, if any, is warranted.
Subsequently, NASCAR discovered the same infraction in 15 Nationwide Series cars and required teams to replace those parts after Thursday’s final practice.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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