Well, Hendrick Motorsports isn’t alone now. NASCAR took Justin Haley louvers. The Kaulig Racing driver will have them replaced. It was announced on Friday night that officials took the louvers from all the Hendrick cars. At least Haley’s Chevy will join them.
Any kind of decision or penalty from these louvers will not be made until next week. We likely won’t hear anything until Tuesday at the earliest. This is starting to seem like more of a Chevy issue than a Hendrick issue. Still, if these parts were modified, NASCAR is going to come down hard.
Justin Haley had his louvers taken, but his teammate AJ Allmendinger did not have his removed either.
This is becoming the story of the weekend. No one knows what NASCAR is going to find with these louvers. The part isn’t just the vent on the hoods, it also has a frame under the hood.
If you were watching qualifying, you will notice that the Hendrick cars weren’t bothered by the change at all. Justin Haley struggled a bit, though.
Justin Haley Can’t Find Speed, Kyle Larson Takes Pole
In fact, looking at the cars that had their louvers confiscated, there are two stories to tell. First of all, Kyle Larson was excellent. He had the fastest time in the groups and then followed that up by taking the pole award against the top 10. However, Kaulig didn’t have such good luck.
Those Kaulig cars aren’t up to speed with the rest of the Chevys. They have a chance to perform well in the race, in fact, I think Allmendinger will be a tough competitor. But as far as qualifying goes, P22 for AJ and P26 for Haley will make for a long Sunday.
Hendrick Motorsports doesn’t seem to be bothered much by this. However, it can be a big blow to a team if NASCAR hands out penalties. Points are up for grabs. So, we will wait and see if there is a difference on Sunday after the louver controversy.
Can Justin Haley turn things around between now and Sunday?