NASCAR growing increasingly frustrated with inspection failures
NASCAR officials are growing increasingly frustrated over the continued significant number of pre-qualifying and pre-race inspection issues each week.


At Kansas Speedway this past weekend, six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams were unable to clear pre-qualifying inspection in time to participate and all had to start Saturday night’s race in the back of the field.
NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, Steve O’Donnell, said during an interview Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “Morning Drive” show that the sanctioning body would continue to fight back against teams who publicly complain about the process.
“You’ve heard me come on and say we’ve got the most talented engineers in the world working on the race cars and we believe that, and it’s certainly frustrating because it is on the teams to present their cars for inspection,” O’Donnell said.
“It’s become the equivalent of a Kris Bryant (of the Chicago Cubs baseball team) coming to the plate with a bat that you can’t use and the umpire says you can’t use that, (he) comes back with a bat you can’t use and the umpire says it again, and then the third time says you can’t make your plate appearance, and the batter runs to the media and says, ‘I can’t believe they did this.’
“At some point, it gets frustrating on our end and at some point, we’ve got to get the teams to be able to show up and get through tech inspection.”
As O’Donnell noted, even when there are issues, a vast majority of teams still are able to complete the process on time or without any problems. There are a number of “repeat offenders” when it comes to inspection issues.
In recent months, NASCAR has upped the penalties for inspection failures, increasing the amount of practice time lost and even ejecting crew members from the track for multiple failures in addition to loss of starting position.
“It hasn’t seemed to work,” O’Donnell said. “I think we’ll go back and look at it collectively and continue to focus on the teams that are doing it right and really make that be the narrative.
“Where we can make an adjustment we certainly will; the last thing we want to do is to penalize any team, we don’t want that to be the narrative.”
One of the issues NASCAR is looking at this week is a large dent that developed in the rear window of Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet late in the Kansas race.
Larson claimed the dent came from damage from an on-track incident with Ryan Blaney but O’Donnell seemed to discount that theory on Monday.
“I’ve never seen damage cause that,” he said. “So certainly, we’ll go back like we always do and thoroughly inspect the car. It’s an area we continue to focus on because the teams know they’ve found something there.”

Ford says it can now match Toyota car cycle
Kevin Harvick says 2018 season "feels like a game"

Latest news
Kimi Raikkonen on NASCAR Cup test: “So far it’s been good”
Kimi Raikkonen says he feels better prepared for his NASCAR Cup Series debut with Trackhouse Racing at Watkins Glen next weekend following his maiden Next Gen test run on Thursday.
Bubba Wallace signs multi-year NASCAR extension with 23XI Racing
Bubba Wallace has signed a multi-year contract extension with 23XI Racing, and will remain the driver of its No. 23 Toyota Camry.
Trackhouse boss thinks Raikkonen “will haul ass” in NASCAR Cup debut
Trackhouse Racing co-owner Justin Marks says he has “high expectations” for former Formula 1 champ Kimi Raikkonen’s debut in the NASCAR Cup Series next weekend.
2022 NASCAR at Richmond - Start time, how to watch, entry list & more
NASCAR takes on the Richmond Raceway for Round 24 of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his teammate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major engine overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars.
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, but his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines...
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes