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On Friday, after the conclusion of the Daytona 500, several wheels from Team Penske and Rousch Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing cars were seized by NASCAR officials. The number of wheels that were seized, however, has not yet been revealed.
Meanwhile, NASCAR recently sent out a memo that said the Daytona 500 will not see any penalties from the seized parts. The news was confirmed in a tweet by motorsport reporter Bob Pockrass, who wrote:
“NASCAR won’t say how many wheels confiscated but no concerns for them racing this weekend and any penalties would be announced next week.”
Earlier, the motorsport association mentioned that the seized wheels will be brought to its Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further inspection. How this development affects the two teams remains to be seen.
For a refresher, Team Penske drivers include Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney and Harrison Burton. RFK Racing drivers include Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher. Both RFK Racing drivers will line up in the second row for Sunday's Daytona 500, after topping the two Bluegreen Vacation Duels.
Former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. alerted about teams cheating before Daytona 500
Semi-retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. had earlier mentioned the possibility of teams cheating with the introduction of the Next Gen cars. Last year, when the motorsport association announced the Clash at LA Coliseum, he began raising concerns about the new vehicles on his weekly podcast, The Dale Jr. Download.
In one of the episodes, he said:
“With all of the components, there’s all new places and areas for them to get creative in. And when I say get creative, I mean cheat. I think that’s going to be a very, very difficult task for NASCAR to control all the creativity that these teams are going to try to develop.”
Meanwhile, NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’ Donnell has clearly described the consequences for any team planning to mess with vendor-supplied parts. Reporter Bob Pockrass posted O'Donnell's warning against cheating on Twitter, writing:
“NASCAR EVP Steve O’Donnell promises big penalties for messing with vendor-supplied parts. There is speculation penalties could include a playoff ban. O’Donnell wouldn’t confirm but said: “We have put everybody on notice...We want to make sure the penalty matters.”
