NASCAR announces late Bristol car legality verdict after further Cup Series inspections

NASCAR has confirmed the outcome of two post-race inspections after following last weekend's action at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Saturday night's Cup Series race proved a real thriller due to a dramatic tire falloff and all planned strategies going out of the window, with Joe Gibbs Racing star Christopher Bell emerging as the victor after 500 racing laps.

Following post-race technical inspection at the Tennessee track, Bell's No. 20 was given the all-clear, and his win was made official.

However, NASCAR also took two Cup Series cars back to their Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina - the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet - for further scrutiny.

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Were the cars legal?

With the above confirmed, both cars have avoided any sort of punishment and will keep their finishing positions from Saturday night's race.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove the No. 47 to 22nd at Bristol Motor Speedway, whilst Michael McDowell finished 17th in the No. 71.

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Why do NASCAR take cars back to the R&D Center?

Cars are taken back to the R&D center from time to time, and often, it is just routine. However, if something illegal or that violated a rule were to be found during the added inspection, there would naturally be consequences.

This happened when Hendrick Motorsports' No. 17 Chevrolet, driven by Chase Elliott in the Xfinity Series that weekend, was seized post-race at Pocono in June. When inspecting the car at their R&D Center, NASCAR uncovered that the team's vehicle violated 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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