NASCAR tackles upswing in inspection failures

The changes will begin with this weekend's activities at Richmond International Raceway, site of Saturday night's Toyota Owners 400 (FOX, 7 p.m. ET).
 
According to Buck, data compiled by NASCAR has identified a number of trends after the season's first eight points-paying races, and one that stands out is the failure rate during at-track inspections.
 
According to the memo:
 
In an effort to ensure all competitors an equal and fair opportunity to participate, we will be implementing the following:
 
Initial Inspection -- All cars must pass initial inspection and receive a final sticker to be eligible to practice.
 
Qualifying Inspection -- Cars that fail qualifying inspections twice will receive a written warning; cars that fail qualifying inspection three times will also receive a 15-minute practice penalty at the following event.
 
Pre-Race Inspection -- Cars that fail pre-race inspection twice will receive a written warning; cars that fail pre-race inspection three times will also receive a 15-minute practice penalty at the following event.
 
According to the memo, had those rules been in place for last weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, nine teams would have received written warnings and three teams would have received time penalties.
 
Previously, failing pre-qualifying inspection twice carried no written warning. Those that failed three times were subject to the loss of on-track time at the discretion of the series director.
 
Based on the 2015 NASCAR Deterrence System, multiple warnings issued to a member or team will result in one or more P1 penalties. Should a team receive two warnings during the same event, or two warnings during consecutive events, the following actions may be taken:
 
Last choice in pit selection process; track time deductions in practice; track time deductions in qualifying; delay in order of inspection; selection for post-race inspection; specified time delay before unloading vehicle at track; temporary suspension of annual hard card credential(s); reduction or suspension of other event privileges; community service.
 
If a team or member receives six or more warnings during a six-month period from the time of the first warning, the penalty could escalate to a level P2 infraction, while eight or more warnings could result in a P3 penalty.
 
With a new rules package for 2015, teams have had issues at several events this season when going through the inspection process. Delays at Atlanta saw 13 teams fail to make it through pre-qualifying inspection in time to make it on track before the conclusion of the first round of qualifying.
 
In an attempt to speed up the process, NASCAR altered the qualifying day schedule at several events, giving teams additional time to present their cars for qualifying inspection.

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