the primary #25 Chevy failed inspection before the first practice and the team worked on the car and presented it before the 2nd practice [Happy Hour] and it failed inspection again and was impounded and confiscated by NASCAR. The team worked feverishly to get the back up car out and ready to pass inpsection to make a practice run but looks doubtful the car will get on the track, if so, Vickers will be qualifying a backup car with no laps at on it…and probably faces penalties/fines by NASCAR early next week.(PRN’s Garage Pass Radio Show)
NOTE: The #25 team was able to get the backup car thru inspection and Vickers got some laps in. Hendrick Motorsports says the car was not confiscated by NASCAR but the team forfitted the car to NASCAR when they decided they could do no more to make the templates fit.(9-16-2005)
UPDATE: The #25 Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports brought to New Hampshire International Speedway as the primary Nextel Cup car for Brian Vickers was in NASCAR’s possession Friday after it failed inspection five times. “This was a brand new body that had never been raced,” said Doug Duchardt, vice president of development for the Hendrick team. “We learned of a measurement issue during the inspection process and made attempts to correct it. But, after several tries, we decided to forfeit the car [to NASCAR] and go with our backup.” The frustrated Vickers missed the first practice and got in just five laps in the second session for Sunday’s Sylvania 300. “We made the decision to forfeit the car because we didn’t feel it could be repaired in a reasonable amount of time,” Duchardt said. “It was important to get out on the racetrack in the backup and prepare for Sunday. We have a very thorough system that should prevent these things, but something obviously fell through the cracks.”(ESPN.com/AP)(9-17-2005)
