NASCAR orders parts replacements for four Stewart-Haas in inspections – SportingNews.com

Four Stewart-Haas Racing cars, including those of Chase contenders Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, failed inspections on Saturday ahead of qualifying at Talladega.

The problems: a cooling system component that reports say didn’t conform to NASCAR rules.

MORE: Chase standings before Talladega | Kurt Busch earns extension

Harvick, Busch, Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick were among drivers whose cars were flagged ahead. After the components were replaced on their Chevrolet racing cars, all four were cleared for qualifying.

#NASCAR says the assembly of the radiator inlet duct panels for all 4 SHR cars did not conform & they’ve been asked to fix that @NASCARonNBC
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) October 24, 2015

The field for the CampingWorld.com 500 was set in Saturday’s qualifying. The race at NASCAR’s least-predictable track is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET Sunday. It is the last in the three-race Contender Round in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. After the race, four drivers will be removed from Chase competition.

The Stewart-Haas cars, according to Motorsports.com, were found to have improper radiator inlet duct panel assemblies. Such panels are located in the car’s nose and help engines run cooler and more efficiently.

Hearing duct work issues impeding the inspection process for @StewartHaasRcng @TalladegaSuperS #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/yKtHORij7u
— Lee Spencer (@CandiceSpencer) October 24, 2015

Pre-qualifying inspections are routine. But replacement meant the Stewart-Haas cars spent about two hours in the process before being cleared to run.

NASCAR also confiscated the front splitter from Josh Wise’s car, a Front Row Motorsports Ford.

Steart-Haas officials told media members the parts flagged by NASCAR were the same assemblies their cars used in earlier races this year at Talladega and Daytona. Those are stockcar racing’s superspeedways.

If there are penalties against the four car teams, NASCAR will enforce them at a race after Talladega.

W/Chase elimination format, #NASCAR shouldn’t wait until Tuesday to issue any penalties from non-race-day tech. Should do it by Sunday morn
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 24, 2015