NASCAR Cup Series

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has parts confiscated, could face penalty

Published Nov. 15, 2014 3:41 p.m. ET

Jared Turner

NASCAR announced late Friday that officials have confiscated the rear-end suspension parts on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s No. 17 Ford Fusion after finding an issue during prequalifying inspection for Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Stenhouse, a two-time Nationwide Series champion in his second Sprint Cup season, is 27th in the standings entering Sunday's 2014 season finale.

Stenhouse, who qualified 22nd for Sunday's race, holds a 26-point lead in the standings over girlfriend and Stewart-Haas Racing driver Danica Patrick.

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said Saturday afternoon that NASCAR will take Stenhouse's rear-end suspension back to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., for further evaluation early next week.

Any penalties resulting from the issue on Stenhouse's car will likely be handed down on Tuesday -- two days after the season's final race -- and could affect the final points standings.