Before the NASCAR Cup Series hit the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR had already confiscated parts from two vehicles, both of which come out of the Stewart-Haas Racing stables.
The No. 10 and No. 41 cars, driven by Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece on a full-time basis this season, respectively, have had the roof rail deflectors confiscated from their vehicles during a pre-qualifying inspection on Friday.
As is the traditional practice in situations similar to this at NASCAR’s top level, the sanctioning body will bring the confiscated parts back to the NASCAR R&D Center, where they will be evaluated.
Any penalties, whether it be a monetary fine, point penalty, or both, will be announced and assessed mid-week.
Unfortunately, Stewart-Haas Racing isn’t any stranger to major penalties being assessed by the sanctioning body. Last season, following the Coca-Cola 600 in May, the No. 14 Ford Mustang was handed the first-ever L3-level penalty.
Briscoe, the driver of the No. 14 then, and now the most experienced driver at Stewart-Haas Racing, was docked 120 points from the penalty last season, while the organization itself was fined $250,000 and lost crew chief Johnny Klausmeir,for six races.
Entering the second event of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Noah Gragson sits 15th in series point standings, while Ryan Preece, the driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang, currently sits 25th.
Gragson comes off a ninth-place result in the 2024 Daytona 500, marking a strong start to his first start with Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, and just his second top-10 at NASCAR’s top-level.
Preece on the other hand enters his second season with Stewart-Haas Racing, returning to the driver’s seat of the No. 41 Ford Mustang. In Monday’s Daytona 500, the Connecticut native scored a finish of 23rd, after being involved in a massive accident late in the event.
Any specifics regarding the organization’s penalties will be announced in NASCAR’s Weekly Penalty Report, which usually comes either Tuesday or Wednesday the following week.
