Inspection Setbacks at Michigan
Two NASCAR Cup Series outfits, RFK Racing and NY Racing Team, encountered repeated pre‑race inspection problems during the Michigan weekend. The No. 17 Ford fielded by RFK Racing for Chris Buescher did not clear the technical check on the first two attempts, only to finally pass on the third try. A short time later, the No. 44 Chevrolet entered by NY Racing Team for J.J. Yeley suffered the same fate, failing twice before a successful third run.
The repeated failures triggered immediate sanctions. Both teams saw their crew chiefs, Josh Sisco of RFK Racing and Lee Leslie of NY Racing Team, ejected from the venue. In addition, the squads forfeited their preferred pit stalls, consigning Buescher and Yeley to the final two positions in the pit order for the race.
A Growing Trend in 2026
Such inspection hiccups are not isolated to Michigan. Earlier in the season, four different crew chiefs were sent home from Las Vegas Motor Speedway after similar violations. The 2026 schedule has seen a noticeable uptick in teams hitting the inspection wall twice before finally clearing, a pattern that officials have been monitoring closely.
Despite the setbacks, Buescher and Yeley escaped the most severe penalty. In NASCAR, a third‑time failure would have forced a pass‑through penalty during the event, but the teams managed to avoid that outcome, leaving only the pit‑selection penalty as the lingering consequence.