Clint Bowyer's Team Warned About 'Creative Interpretation' of Rules

Last year it was Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 and No. 48 getting warned about the fenders and how close they were to failing post-race technical inspection.

This year, it is Richard Childress’ No. 33 driven by Clint Bowyer that’s getting the warning after Richmond.

"They were in the box, but getting close to some of the tolerances and we asked them to come in to see if they aren't getting off on one of their build sheets," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton told the Associated Press.

"We have had their cars in quite a bit, and they were always spot-on. This one just seemed to be different, and we felt we owed it to them to make sure they just aren't off in one area."

NASCAR chose to inspect Bowyer’s car following the Richmond race on September 11th after he finished sixth to gain the final spot in the Chase.

NASCAR officials said that once back at the Research and Development Centre in North Carolina, they discovered the back end of the Chevy was very close to the mandated tolerance levels.

They also added that they have scheduled a meeting with RCR officials and said that the car won’t be given back to the team till after the meeting.

If Bowyer would have received a penalty, it would range from 50 to 100 points, which would not had changed the Chase field, as Bowyer had a 142 point cushion on Ryan Newman.

This is something to think about, as when Hendrick Motorsports was pushing the boundaries, their cars finished first-second-third.

Could Bowyer be on his way to a championship with RCR teammates in tow? Currently, Bowyer sits second in points, 35 points behind Hamlin.