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Joey Logano's Team Penske No. 22 Ford was found with 19 of its 20 lug nuts properly attached in a post-race check Sunday night at Texas Motor Speedway.
Logano -- a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff contender -- led a race-high 178 laps in the AAA Texas 500, but finished second to eventual race winner Carl Edwards. After the race was halted 41 laps shy of the full 334-lap distance by rain, NASCAR officials discovered the infraction on Logano's car on pit road.
According to the NASCAR Rule Book, a first-time violation of the lug-nut rule carries a $10,000 fine. Penalties from the Texas race will ultimately be determined by NASCAR's competition department later this week.
Logano sits second in the Sprint Cup standings with one race remaining in the Chase's Round of 8. After that next event -- the Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM) at Phoenix International Raceway -- the field will be whittled to four championship-contending drivers in the Nov. 20 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Logano is seeking his first appearance among the title-eligible quartet since 2014.