Before and after every NASCAR event, NASCAR officials conduct a detailed inspection of every stock car in competition. Every aspect of the cars is compared to the NASCAR Rule Book, and any infractions or unapproved adjustments result in inspection failure. And that’s just the start of the punishments.
An inspection failure can cost drivers hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, multi-month suspensions, and loss of crew members, just to name a few of the common penalties. This week’s prequalifying inspection for the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix at COTA saw not one but four drivers receive double failures. A fifth driver failed a third time.
The four cars who face two failed inspections will lose both a crew member and pit stall selection. The penalized drivers are as follows:
- Brad Keselowski – No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
- Car chief ejected
- Kaz Grala – No. 50 TMT Racing Chevrolet
- Chassis specialist ejected
- Boris Said – No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Ford
- Chassis specialist ejected
- Josh Bilicki – No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
- Engineer ejected
The following cars failed pre-qualifying inspection twice at @NASCARatCOTA:
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 26, 2022
No. 6
No. 50
No. 66
No. 77
These teams have lost pit selection and additionally, a crew member from each team has been ejected.
The No. 6, 50, 66, and 77 teams all passed inspection on the third attempt. However, the No. 78 team wasn’t quite as lucky. The No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Ford, driven by Andy Lally, failed a third inspection.
As punishment, Lally is banned from the qualifying rounds later today and is required to perform a pass-through penalty after the green flag at the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix. In addition, a No. 78 team engineer was ejected.
Brad Keselowski Comments on Penalties Following NASCAR Inspection
Unfortunately for Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 team, this weekend’s penalty is just the latest in a string of bad luck over the last week. On Thursday, Brad Keselowski received one of the harshest punishments in NASCAR history for a modification to a single-source supplied part discovered at the post-race inspection in the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The unapproved alteration resulted in a $100,000 fine, a 100 point loss, and the four-race suspension of No. 6 crew chief Matt McCall. Despite the seemingly neverending stream of misfortune, however, Brad Keselowski is keeping his head held high.
The No. 6 NASCAR driver took to social media to let his fans know that he’s nowhere near accepting defeat. He will continue to give his all, even after L2-level penalty left him plummeting from 16th to 35th position in the overall standings. “No one said it would be easy,” Keselowski writes. “But I know it will be worth it. We’re taking this one race at a time… Next up, COTA. #6NeverQuits”
No one said it would be easy, but I know it will be worth it. We’re taking this one race at a time… Next up, COTA. pic.twitter.com/Pl1j09WXv2
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) March 26, 2022
