How many times can NASCAR teams fail inspection? Expert provides insights

Bob Pockrass, racing insider and NASCAR on FOX reporter, responded to a fan's social media question on Friday about whether or not there's a maximum amount of times a team can fail an inspection. The insider said there isn't a maximum as teams can fail as many times as possible.

The question was asked to Pockrass on X, to which he responded by saying:

"No max number of times a team can fail. Points penalties would be issued likely for additional failures."

The question was raised in response to Pockrass reporting on Friday that Layne Riggs failed tech inspection three times ahead of qualifying for Friday's Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega, making him ineligible to qualify. In the Cup Series, meanwhile, Daniel Suarez had to drop to the rear of the field and serve a pass-through penalty after making an unapproved adjustment after inspection.

NASCAR requires all cars to pass a pre-race inspection prior to taking the track before the race. The inspection process has five stations. Station one lifts up the car so inspectors can look at the nose, under the body, and the inside of the car. Stations two and three are where the body is further inspected with a handheld template to make sure it meets all requirements. Station four is optical scanning, where the car's body is again looked at as well as its chassis. On station five, the holding blocks are removed and the final safety inspection is completed.

If a car doesn't pass NASCAR's pre-race inspection, the team takes it back to the garage to reassess matters and try to get it passed again. If more than one failure occurs, penalties such as the team's crew chief being ejected will be handed down.

For a post-race inspection, if a car fails, it is automatically disqualified. Most recently, Sam Mayer's #1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet failed post-race inspection at the conclusion of Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Talladega. Mayer originally finished 16th, but as a result of the failure, he was disqualified and scored in last place.

However, teams can opt to appeal said penalties, which is what JR Motorsports, co-owned by retired NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his older sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, did. However, the appeal was rejected and the original decision was upheld.

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NASCAR is set to host the final race of the Round of 12 this Sunday

On the heels of a Talladega race that saw the biggest crash in Cup Series history, the NASCAR circuit returns this weekend at the Charlotte Roval for the last race of the Round of 12. William Byron is the sole driver to have locked himself into the next round by virtue of points.

The seven drivers that sit above the cut-line to advance to the Round of 8 include Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott. Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe are the four drivers who sit below the cut-off ahead of Sunday's race.

The Round of 12 races have seen non-playoff drivers with both races. Ross Chastain picked up his first win of the season in the round's opener at Kansas, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scored his first win since the 2023 Daytona 500 last Sunday at Talladega.