While Sunday’s finish wasn’t ruled encumbered, a cumbersome list of infractions to both Chase contenders and regular competitors arose following the Chase-opening race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Martin Truex, Jr.’s race-winning No. 78 Toyota and 12th-place finisher Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet each failed post-race LIS inspection after Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles 400.
Both cars failed at minimum levels, meaning the finish wasn’t encumbered under the inspection rules implemented by NASCAR earlier in the week. Because of that Truex should be able to hold on to the advancement to the second round of the Chase earned with the victory.
However, for Johnson, who sits 10 points ahead of the current cutoff position for the Chase’s Round of 12, a potential 10-point penalty could prove costly and place him in a three-way tie for 12th with Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick ahead of next weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Outside of the Chase grid, the Fords of Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola were found to have lug nut issues following the race. Under the new rules neither team will see any points penalties or crew chief suspensions, though both teams could see monetary fines between $10,000-$20,000
NASCAR will review each of the above instances. Any penalties will be announced later in the week, likely on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Kyle Busch’s car also failed LIS once, but passed on the second attempt, meaning his team won’t see a penalty.
About the author
A graduate of Ball State, Aaron rejoins Frontstretch for his second season in 2016 following a successful year that included covering seven races and starting the popular "Two-Headed Monster" column in 2015. Now in his third year of covering motorsports, Aaron serves as an Assistant Editor for Frontstretch while also contributing to other popular sites including Speed51 and The Apex. He encourages you to come say hi when you see him at the track.
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Gee, I wonder who they drive for!
Toyota and Chevy.
Was that a trick question?
Reverend Gibbs and Mr. H.
Got it. The “pillars” of NASCAR.
Brian’s pillars (cash cow).