Hendrick not the only team waiting for major NASCAR decision

Hendrick Motorsports weren’t the only Cup team to have louvers confiscated by NASCAR over the weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

Having discovered something with the louvers of Hendrick Motorsports’ four Chevrolets prior to Friday’s practice session for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR confiscated them after practice.

Louvers, which are the openings or vents in the hood that serve as a release point for ducts that transfer air out of the radiator, are among the many parts of the Next Gen car that are not allowed to be modified, and we saw NASCAR drop the hammer on multiple teams last season after it was discovered that they had used illegally modified parts.

The team’s four cars — Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet, Josh Berry’s No. 9 Chevrolet, William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet, and Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet — all qualified and raced with different louvers.

Larson took the pole position and Byron won the race. All four drivers finishing in the top 10, with Larson in fourth place, Bowman in ninth, and Berry in 10th. Bowman leads the point standings with Byron and fourth and Larson in a fifth place tie. Berry, who is replacing the injured Chase Elliott, is ineligible for Cup Series points since he competes full-time in the Xfinity Series.

But Hendrick Motorsports aren’t the only team awaiting a decision from NASCAR regarding confiscated louvers.

Before qualifying on Saturday, NASCAR also discovered something with the louvers on the No. 31 Chevrolet of Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley, leading to confiscation. Like the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers, he qualified and raced with new louvers.

Unlike Hendrick Motorsports, however, only one of Kaulig Racing’s cars was affected. A.J. Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet was untouched. After qualifying in 26th place, Haley finished Sunday’s race in 27th and now sits in 24th in the standings.

An official decision from NASCAR regarding potential penalties is expected to come either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.