Pemberton, Rusty Wallace's crew chief, blames the uneasiness on one particular post-race inspection eight years ago. Martin lost the championship that year by 26 points to Dale Earnhardt. However, the fine, the penalty and Pemberton's queasy feeling stood. So, Pemberton and his crew rolled the car to the garage to bang out the deck lid and make it fit the second time. Cars go through inspection at least four times during race weekend.
All inspections are out in the open so other teams can watch.
Before the first practice, officials conduct an initial safety check of the cars while they still are in the garage. Then teams roll their cars through the inspection line, so inspectors can check the bodies, heights, weights, wheel bases and cambers on the rear end of the cars, among other things. They also must go through inspection before qualifying and before the race. Qualifying speeds hover around 190 mph. After a team member reaches over a barrier to randomly choose a plate, an official lifts it over his head, then places it on a pole that measures the diameter of the hole.