Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR penalty verdict confirmed

Four Cup Series teams, including Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports, faced a nervous wait this week after NASCAR seized their cars for further inspection post-race at Iowa Speedway.

William Byron won the Iowa Corn 350 in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. However, one of his teammates' cars, along with some of their rivals, quickly found themselves subject to extra checks.

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Indeed, whilst all cars passed inspection post-race at the track, with Byron's win declared official, NASCAR announced that they would be taking the Nos. 1, 11, 12 and 48 back to their R&D Center for further scrutiny.

Avid NASCAR watchers will know that these belong to Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman for Trackhouse Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports, respectively.

The verdict from those extra inspections is now in, with all four cars declared legal. As a result, none will be penalized ahead of this weekend's action at Watkins Glen International.

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NASCAR teams avoid penalty ahead of Watkins Glen

Of course, NASCAR often takes cars back to its R&D Center in North Carolina and it does not always result in a penalty, as above.

There have, however, been times when it has, and there have already been multiple instances so far in 2025.

See, whilst these post-race checks are somewhat routine, if something illegal or that violated a rule were to be found during the added inspection, there would naturally be consequences.

Hendrick Motorsports themselves found this out following the Pocono race weekend when their No. 17, driven by Chase Elliott in the Xfinity Series on that occasion, was taken for further inspection at the R&D Center.

When inspecting the car, NASCAR uncovered that the team's vehicle was in violation of Sections 14.3.3.2.1.1 K&L (Main Frame Rail Conical Receivers) of the NASCAR Rule Book.

As a result, hefty penalties followed, with crew chief Adam Wall suspended for three races and the team fined $40,000, as well as docked 40 owner points and 10 playoff points.

However, for the most part, the further inspections are for educational purposes, as outlined on NASCAR's official website: "Sometimes, NASCAR will choose cars to take back to the R&D Center, but that’s more for engine education than anything else."

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