After the race, his vehicle failed the post-race laser inspection station measurements. That could be a significant advantage when NASCAR’s playoffs begin in September, as all 16 playoff drivers have their point totals reset to 2,000 for the beginning of the Chase, plus three additional points for any regular season victory. Kenseth and the team were docked 15 driver and 15 owner points in the championship race.
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The inspection came at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, after a Sprint Cup race which Kenseth won.
Austin Dillon and his Richard Childress Racing team failed the laser inspection station measurements three times in prerace inspections.
It also proved that you don’t need cautions to help drivers race for the lead, and race traffic helped in preventing the lead vehicle from getting too far ahead from the rest of the field.
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Since this is the first time a race winning auto has failed this inspection, NASCAR does not have any protocol in place for any further penalties other than the fines and removal of points. There is also a random auto selected from the field. Because of that Matt Kenseth will retain the win he obtained this past Sunday. This includes first 5 place cars of Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Joe Logano, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle. For this race that vehicle was the 7 place finisher driven by Ryan Newman.
