The Championship Racing Association (CRA) and Sealed Engine Alliance Leaders (SEAL) have issued a decision on a recent technical inspection and compliance effort and have launched a broader engine compliance investigation as a result, the late model organization announced.

Following the series' Toledo event, CRA and the SEAL Committee confiscated selected engines as part of their ongoing technical inspection and compliance efforts. The engines were transported to independent testing facility Robert Yates Racing Engines for dyno testing and detailed inspection.

During the inspection, one engine was found to contain a component that does not conform to the current SEAL engine build sheet. CRA and the SEAL Committee immediately began a deeper investigation to determine how and why the component was used before making any determination regarding penalties.

That investigation established that the engine builder had been specifically told in April of this year by a SEAL Committee member that the component in question was permitted.

The committee member did not have the authority to independently approve a deviation from the established SEAL build specifications, and that approval was never presented to or approved by the committee's voting members.

However, the engine builder was not aware that the individual committee member lacked that authority. The builder reasonably believed the authorization was valid and built the engine based on direction provided by someone representing the SEAL Committee.

For that reason, CRA and the SEAL Committee have determined that neither the team nor the engine builder will receive a penalty in this instance.

This decision should not be interpreted as a relaxation of CRA or SEAL technical rules or enforcement standards. Had the team or engine builder knowingly used an unapproved component without authorization, the outcome would have been different.

The committee considers the unauthorized approval a serious breakdown in its technical governance process and has launched a broader investigation to determine whether the same or similar guidance was provided to other engine builders and how many engines nationwide may be affected.

That review includes communication with engine builders, examination of previous technical guidance, and a determination of what corrective measures are necessary. The SEAL Committee is also reviewing its internal approval procedures to ensure that no individual committee member can independently authorize deviations from the established build specifications in the future.

"There are really two separate issues here. The first is whether the race team and engine builder knowingly violated the rules. Based on everything we have found, they did not. They followed direction they believed came with the authority of the SEAL Committee, and we are not going to punish a competitor for a failure in our own internal process," said Marty Melo, CRA owner and chair of the SEAL Committee. "The second issue is the process that allowed this to happen, and that is something we are taking very seriously. We are determining how widespread this may be, who was given similar information, how many engines could be affected and what steps are necessary to correct it. We intend to deal with the issue completely and transparently."

For a full statement on the investigation, visit starsnationaltour.com.