Nos. 4, 14 Fail Post-Daytona 500 Qualifying Inspection

NASCAR dealt punishment to two teams in Sunday’s Daytona 500 post-qualifying inspection, disallowing qualifying speeds for two Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolets.

Nos. 4, 14 Fail Post-Daytona 500 Qualifying Inspection

The Stewart-Haas No. 4 Chevrolet, which was driven by former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick and the SHR No. 14 Chevy — currently wheeled by Brian Vickers in place of the injured Tony Stewart — were both found with track bars that failed to comply with NASCAR specifications. Harvick had posted the 14th-fastest lap and Vickers the 21st-fastest, but their their qualifying times were disallowed soon afterward.

Rodney Childers, crew chief for SHR’s No. 4, posted on Twitter after the qualifying inspection session that the violation “was a simple mistake on our part.” Childers explained that the team had measured the track bar from a different point than NASCAR officials, which resulted in a quarter-inch discrepancy.

A third car, the Furniture Row No. 78 Toyota Camry, which was piloted by Martin Truex Jr., was also stopped before making a qualifying attempt due to an issue involving an out-of-compliance right-side roof flap. The No. 78 team was forced to forfeit after they were unable to fix the problem in the allotted five-minute warning time.

NASCAR officials stated that the issues involving all three cars would be further explained in competition meetings on Tuesday.

All three teams will be guaranteed starting berths in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21, (1 pm. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM) through the NASCAR Charter system. All three will start in the rear of the field for Thursday’s Can-Am Duel qualifying races (7 pm. ET, FS1).

TALLADEGA, AL – OCTOBER 25:  Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, is introduced prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 25, 2015 in Talladega, Alabama.  (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena