DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR president Mike Helton says its “highly likely” five-time champion Jimmie Johnson’s team will be penalized following the Daytona 500.
The No. 48 Chevrolet had illegally modified sheet metal between the roof and the side windows that was found in Friday’s inspection.
NASCAR took the area known as the C-posts from the Hendrick Motorsports team and shipped them to its research and development facility.
Crew chief Chad Knaus was allowed to repair the car and Johnson is competing in activities leading up to the Feb. 26 season-opening Daytona 500.
But Helton said Saturday the team will likely be penalized in the days after the race. Knaus was kicked out of Daytona before the 2006 race, and Helton says the difference was that infraction was found in a post-qualifying inspection.
