Earnhardt’s team, overseen this year by crew chief Greg Ives, needed three trips to clear pre-race inspection leading into Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400.

The Joe Gibbs Racing entries of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, along with that of Phil Parsons Racing with driver Josh Wise, had issues in pre-qualifying inspection, and made more than two trips through the line before heading out to pit road on Friday.

Failing to pass either pre-qualifying or pre-race inspection twice results in a written warning from the sanctioning body; failing a third time will result in a 15-minute loss of practice penalty at the next scheduled event.

In March, teams were notified that beginning with the Phoenix race weekend, the series’ fourth race, any vehicle failing qualifying inspection more than twice would be subject to a 15-minute practice penalty.

Officials began issuing written warnings prior to this year’s race at Richmond International Raceway due to the number of teams requiring multiple passes through inspections. It was noted at that time that had the policy been in place the previous week, when the series was at Bristol Motor Speedway, it would have resulted in nine written warnings and three teams would have received time penalties.

Since the policy was adopted, there have 44 written warnings issued to Sprint Cup teams.

The warnings are a part of NASCAR’s 2015 Deterrence Policy, which categorizes infractions (Level 1 through Level 6) and the applicable penalties.

If the same team receives two warnings during the same event, or during two consecutive events, the P1 penalties may include last choice in the pit selection process, a deduction in track time for practice or qualifying, a delay in the order of inspection or selection for post-race inspection.

If a team or member receives six or more warnings during a six-month period (from the time of the first warning), the penalty may be increased to P2.

P2 level penalty options may include the loss of 10 championship driver and owner points and/or a fine not less than $10,000 and not more than $25,000. P2 level infractions also carry the potential for suspensions and probation.

Lug Nut or Valve Stem Issue?

Flat tires caused when valve stems have been knocked off by lug nuts during pit stops have been a recurring issue for teams this season. The No. 19 of Joe Gibbs Racing driver Carl Edwards, the No. 27 of Paul Menard (Richard Childress Racing) and more recently, the No. 4 of Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) are among those that have been affected by the problem.

According to some in the garage, the problem isn’t that the lug nuts occasionally strike the stem during a tire change. Instead, it’s how the stem is seated in the wheel that makes it easier to be knocked off.

"I don’t even know how to fix it," Rodney Childers, crew chief for Harvick, said after Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. "Definitely got to do something though."

Appeal Denied

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has upheld P3 level penalties handed down to the No. 97 NASCAR XFINITY Series team during last month’s race at Dover International Speedway.

NASCAR penalized the team, Obaika Racing, and driver Peyton Sellers for an improperly attached weight that fell out of the vehicle during practice at DIS. Fellow driver Carl Long struck the dislodged weight, resulting in a crash.

Crew chief John Monsam was fined $15,000. He and car chief David Jones were suspended from the series’ next points race and placed on probation through Dec. 31. Sellers and team owner Victor Obaika were penalized 15 championship driver and owner points, respectively.

The team appealed only the loss of driver and owner points.

The team has the right to appeal the Panel’s decision to National Motorsports Final Appeals officer Bryan Moss.

Short Race, Short List

Sunday’s rain-shortened Quicken Loans 400 at MIS produced a record low eight penalties on race day. Six of the eight were for teams pitting before pit road was open.

The Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 7 team, with driver Alex Bowman, was flagged for having too many crew members in contact with the pit service area while the No. 23 of J.J. Yeley (BK Racing) was penalized an engine change prior to start of the race.

The previous low for penalties was 10 during this year’s race at Richmond International Raceway.

At least that seems to be the approach for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series most popular driver and one of 10 drivers who already have a win this season.

His victory earlier this season at Talladega Superspeedway likely guarantees the Hendrick Motorsports driver one of the 16 spots in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

He’ll still race for wins between now and the cutoff race this September in Richmond. But being as prepared as possible when the Chase arrives is his focus.

Maybe it was Sunday’s second-place finish to Stewart-Haas Racing‘s Kurt Busch at Michigan International Speedway that resulted in his outlook, but whatever the reason, Earnhardt said he "just ain’t going to worry about it."

"We’ve always done well during the first 26 races and never done well in the Chase, so I’m just concentrating on the Chase now that we’re locked in," he said.

The No. 88 team, led by crew chief Greg Ives, will still be trying to win as often as cars are on the track, but "(if) we don’t win them, it doesn’t really matter to me where we finish just as long as we’ve got fast cars and we’re understanding how to get better," Earnhardt said.

The 40-year-old has qualified for the 10-race Chase for four straight seasons and seven overall. But he’s cracked the top five in the final points standings just once in recent years, failing to contend for the title with each opportunity.

Perhaps a different approach will provide better opportunities and produce the desired results.

"Over the last several years we’ve been as good or better than anybody during the regular season and … just haven’t showed up in the Chase," he said. "I told my guys after Pocono when we ran 11th with about a third‑place car that I wasn’t going to worry about finishes and I wasn’t going to worry about trying to get everything I can on finishes. I was just going to go to the track, try to win, try to learn. We need to make sure when we get to the Chase we understand everything we can about the car and how to deliver the best car every week.

"Trying to be as consistent as you can and finish as well as you can, (that) can kind of mask some of your weaknesses, I guess. You can forget that you need to work."

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Sunday’s runner-up finish was Earnhardt’s eighth top-five of the year. A good long-run car didn’t get a lot of opportunities to hit its stride in a race that was interrupted early and often – there were three cautions in the first 54 laps, and red-flag delays due to rain ate up more than two hours of scheduled on-track time.

"When it came to the restarts, we didn’t take off as well as the 41 (of Busch)," Earnhardt said. "We saw the same thing at Charlotte, the 78 (of Martin Truex Jr.) and the 41 take off real good. We were just kind of tight waiting on the front to work, don’t have the good speed that they have the first three or four laps, and that was the difference, (that) and the 4 (Kevin Harvick) having the trouble he had. He had the field covered. I think on the long run, again, we were one of the best cars."

The on-again, off-again status of Sunday’s race was annoying, but didn’t hinder the team, according to Ives. Everyone was dealt the same hand.

"I think it was actually good for us," said Ives, 15 races into his first season as a Sprint Cup crew chief. "I think we do a great job as a team trying to stay focused on what it is at hand.

"Dale comes to the pit box and we discuss racing. We’re only here to win races, so him coming back and telling us what the car’s doing so we can come back and adjust on it where we need to get better and kind of lay out our strategy a bit for him … when that happens, it kind of keeps the team focused on what we need to do."