Parts Confiscated from Gragson and Preece prior to Atlanta race

During Friday evening’s inspection at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series, two Stewart-Haas Racing Fords underwent scrutiny, leading to the confiscation of certain parts for further assessment.

Specifically, the No. 10 and No. 41 cars, piloted by Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece respectively, had their roof rail deflectors removed for evaluation ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session and Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Any potential penalties stemming from this will be disclosed next week.

As per the NASCAR Rule Book, roof air deflectors must adhere to specific guidelines outlined in diagrams. These guidelines include being constructed from 0.05-inch-thick aluminum, being installed perpendicular to the designated slots, ensuring no interference with roof flap functionality, and requiring proper painting.

Although roof rail deflectors contribute to drag, their primary importance lies in their aerodynamic properties, particularly in how they respond to spinning cars.

It’s noteworthy that roof deflectors are a team-manufactured component, as opposed to being provided by a single-source supplier.

Furthermore, the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. faced issues during pre-qualifying inspections, failing twice. Consequently, they lost pit selection privileges and had their engineer ejected.