NASCAR Post-Race Inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Leaves a Costly Question

NASCAR Post-Race Inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Leaves a Costly Question
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: A general view of of pit road during the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series The LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

NASCAR post-race inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway confirmed Corey Day as the winner of Saturday night’s Focused Health 302, but it also changed the final results after Brandon Jones was disqualified.

Day took his third NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win of 2026 after leading 136 of 201 laps in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Carson Kvapil finished second, 0.287 seconds behind, while Jesse Love took third.

NASCAR completed the post-race inspection in the garage before confirming the results. The biggest issue involved Jones’ No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Officials found four or more lug nuts that were not safe and secure. Jones dropped from 35th to 36th, lost his seven stage points and suffered another setback in the Chase standings.


NASCAR Post-Race Inspection Changes Las Vegas Results

NASCAR post-race inspection produced the biggest change at Las Vegas when Jones was disqualified for the lug-nut violation.

Matt Weaver, senior NASCAR editor at Motorsport.com, reported the decision shortly after the inspection.

“O’Reilly Series inspection clear,” Weaver wrote. “Brandon Jones’ No. 20 was disqualified for four or more lug nuts not safe & secure. He had finished 35th. He’s now 36th. Two cars lose pit selection at Charlotte: 92 – Inspection failures 88 – 1 lug nut not safe & secure.”

The disqualification removed Jones’ seven stage points from the official total. He had earned those points by finishing fourth in Stage 1.

Under the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series rules, four or more lug nuts that are not safe and secure lead to an automatic disqualification.


Brandon Jones Explains Las Vegas Crash

The NASCAR penalty followed an incident that began after Jones moved to the front during the Stage 2 restart.

Jones gained track position after a strong pit stop and took the lead. His No. 20 Toyota then became unstable in Turn 2. Jones lost control, slid up the track and collected Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

Both cars hit the outside wall. Medical crews evaluated both drivers at the infield care center before releasing them.

Allgaier’s team repaired the car and returned it to the track for several slow laps. He moved from 35th to 34th in the final results. Jones completed 54 laps.

Jones later connected the crash to the pit stop.

“It boiled down to the pit stop and not getting them tight,” he said. “I thought they did a great job; they got me out front, that’s what we needed. We needed to be able to control this race, and they were probably pushing as hard as they could, but it’s all just about no mistakes right now. Unfortunately, we continue to figure out ways to make mistakes every single race so far.”


NASCAR Chase Standings Take Another Hit

The Las Vegas results also changed the NASCAR Chase picture.

Sheldon Creed remains the points leader with 2,259 points after finishing 13th. Kvapil is second, 19 points behind. Love sits third, while Allgaier dropped to fourth, 31 points behind Creed.
Day’s victory moved him to fifth, 41 points behind the leader.

Two more cars received penalties during NASCAR post-race inspection. The No. 92 failed inspection and will lose pit-stall selection at Charlotte. The No. 88, driven by Rajah Caruth, had one lug nut that was not safe and secure and also will lose pit selection.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 10 for the Blue Cross NC 300. Five Chase races remain.

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NASCAR Post-Race Inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Leaves a Costly Question

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