TALLADEGA, Ala. — All four Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolets failed pre-qualifying inspection Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway due to the same issue — improper assembly of the radiator inlet duct panels, which did not conform to NASCAR rules, according to a NASCAR spokesperson.
All four teams — the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 of Danica Patrick, the No. 14 of Tony Stewart and the No. 41 of Kurt Busch — had to replace the duct panels, a lengthy process that caused the Nos. 4 and 41 teams to still be in the garage working under the hood 90 minutes before qualifying began.
Those two cars were the last out of the garage, getting final approval less than an hour before single-car qualifying began at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
Any penalties would be announced next week, according to a NASCAR spokesperson. If there are points penalties, a potential appeal would also be expedited due to Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup points implications.
Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 4, doesn’t expect a points deduction, though.
@Freak4Harvick shouldn’t be.. Just a visual thing. Wasn’t performance related at all. Doesn’t do anything.
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) October 24, 2015
Harvick finished seventh in Saturday’s qualifying, the highest of the SHR vehicles. Stewart was 12th, Busch was 14th and Patrick was 20th.
Patrick and Stewart will start from the rear, though. The No. 10 team changed transmissions Sunday morning, and the No. 14 team made adjustments.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon will lead the field to green in Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) after winning his 81st career Coors Light Pole Award.