The fifth-place car of Ryan Newman failed postrace inspection Sunday night at Talladega Superspeedway, and the waiting game begins on whether any penalties would impact who advances to the third round of the Chase.
Newman’s car was too low on both sides at the rear of the car during postrace inspection.
Newman, who finished third in the Chase standings after the second round, is 27 points ahead of eighth-place Kasey Kahne, the first driver to miss the cut from the round of 12.
The most recent penalty for being too low, in the truck series, was a 10-point penalty, and it was classified as a P3 infraction on NASCAR’s new scale of P1 (lowest) to P6 (highest). A P3 infraction in Cup carries a maximum of 10 points but if NASCAR determines it’s a P4, the penalty could be 35 points — 25 points for the infraction and 10 points because it was discovered during postrace inspection.
NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said a decision on any penalties would come Monday or Tuesday.
If Newman is docked more than 27 points, the Richard Childress Racing team could file for an expedited appeal so that a decision could be made before the next round of the Chase begins Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
