NASCAR Seizes Parts From Stewart-Haas Racing Cup Series Cars

Two cars for Stewart-Haas Racing had roof rail deflectors confiscated at Atlanta Motor Speedway in pre-race technical inspection on Friday, according to NASCAR.com.

The No. 10 and No. 41 Ford teams, driven by Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece respectively, have replaced the parts for qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday, per Racer.com’s Kelly Crandall. Any potential penalties handed down by NASCAR would be announced next week.

Per NASCAR, roof air deflectors must consist of parts outlined in rule 14.5.6.1, which states they must be constructed of 0.05-inch-thick aluminum and must be installed perpendicular to the inspection surface in the applicable recessed slots on the greenhouse and roof flaps. The roof air deflectors must not interfere with the functioning roof flaps and must be painted.

The roof air deflectors removed from the Stewart-Haas Racing cars will undergo further inspection before a decision of penalty will be revealed. Both cars will be able to continue with the race schedule in Atlanta this weekend.

This is not the first time a Stewart-Hass Racing team has been penalized. Last season, NASCAR issued an L3-level penalty on Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 for a counterfeit part discovered on the Ford in late May.

The No. 14 was docked 120 points in both the owner and driver standings for Briscoe, which is the most severe punishment under the rules. If Briscoe had qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series postseason, he would have been hit with an additional loss of 25 playoff points. Briscoe failed to make the postseason, finishing 30th in the championship standings.

After the first race of the NASCAR season, the Daytona 500 last week, Briscoe, Gragson and Preece are ranked 13th, 15th and 25th, respectively, in the driver’s standings.