Severe penalties levied against Waltrip Racing (cont'd)

Pemberton added that ejections were not open for appeal the National Stock Car Commission.

NASCAR cleared Waltrip's back-up No. 55 Camry to participate in Wednesday's two practices for Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying races, but it never left the garage. Pemberton said at 6:15 p.m. ET the car had not yet cleared inspection.

The confiscated car and the parts related to the violations will be transported to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., for further inspection.

NASCAR said the investigation of the confiscated car is ongoing.

Scott Eggleston will serve as interim crew chief for the No. 55 Toyota.

What started as an agonizing inspection process for Waltrip on Sunday turned dramatic following his Daytona 500 qualifying run.

Before qualifying began Pemberton said an inspector in NASCAR's engine checking area "caught a substance inside" the car's manifold in its initial pass through inspection.

Pemberton said, "We didn't know what it was," so that manifold was immediately seized and would be shipped to NASCAR's tech center in Concord, N.C., for analysis.

It was nearly 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday and a number of cars had already made their qualifying runs when Waltrip's car cleared engine inspection.

Apparently NASCAR wasn't done acting on what Waltrip and his employees called "oil" in the manifold. The No. 55 team replaced the manifold and Waltrip qualified before NASCAR seized the car. Waltrip ran the 24th-best speed during qualifying, after 11th-place qualifier Matt Kenseth's speed was disallowed.

Now, Waltrip must start his Duel at the rear of the field and race his way up to one of the top-two positions among the cars that do not have a guaranteed spot in order to continue a 20-year streak of starting the 500, which he has won twice.