CONCORD, N.C— It is another venue with the same problems when it comes to pre-qualifying inspection. Numerous teams were unable to pass the LIS station before the green flag flew for qualifying. This issue has been going on since Atlanta.
Teams are given the chance before practice begins to roll through inspection as a courtesy. Many teams take that courtesy check of their cars. However, official tech inspection is done after practice and before qualifying. All teams are given the chance to pass inspection before those that have failed can come back through. In today’s session, all drivers were given that chance to pass on the first try.
Unlike previous weeks, Kyle Larson and Corey LaJoie were the only two drivers who did not post a time in Thursday’s qualifying session from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson and his team were able to pass inspection with roughly one minute remaining in the opening round of qualifying.
Larson was furious about not being ale to pass LIS and attempt to make a lap on the track. Because of the issues, Larson will start from the 39th position on Sunday.
“We’ll start last instead of from the pole. I guess I’m upset at myself for getting into the wall in practice there because it put us behind on getting to the tech line. We still failed a couple of times. The machine wouldn’t work there, late, and it cost us a minute or minute and a half, and we actually passed,” said Larson. “But we didn’t have enough time to get out there. Had the machine worked, maybe we would have made it out there for that round. I don’t know. I won’t speak too much on it because I don’t know much about how that whole tech process works. I know all the teams hate it. The teams point at NASCAR. NASCAR points at the teams. It’s confusing to me.”
NASCAR Officials were standing by Larson when he made those comments. NASCAR confirmed that the LIS machine was working properly, but his team was unable to roll the car onto the platform correctly.
It is a constant battle of teams blaming NASCAR and NASCAR blaming teams, but who is in the right? The NASCAR community will never know.