SONOMA, Calif. -- The cars sat in their adjacent garage stalls, hoods up, NASCAR-assigned rear wings noticeably missing. They remained there as the remainder of the Nextel Cup field lined up for Friday's first practice at Infineon Raceway, a session the circuit's current points leader and reigning champion watched in street clothes.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson weren't allowed to practice Friday. They weren't allowed to qualify, either. Early next week, they're certain to be hit with severe points penalties, while their respective crew chiefs are saddled with large fines and suspensions. And NASCAR will have sent another clear message to its competitors warning against any tinkering with the Car of Tomorrow.

The Hendrick Motorsports stablemates were banned from all on-track activity Friday after the front fenders of their respective Chevrolets failed initial inspection for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350, the first appearance by the Car of Tomorrow on a road course. Both cars rolled through the inspection line a second time and received their rear wings, although NASCAR did not announce whether they had passed. Neither vehicle was expected to receive the sticker allowing it on the racetrack until Saturday.

"It's important to know that this is a Car of Tomorrow penalty," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "The inspection process and NASCAR's reaction to Car of Tomorrow violations are going to be more severe. We're going to keep this car in check. It's important to know that all cars in the field are starting out equal and all have the same opportunity to win the race as the other."

Should they pass inspection, Gordon and Johnson are in the race by virtue of their position in the top 35 in owner points, but missing qualifying will force them to start from the rear of the grid. That alone is punitive, given that the lowest starting position of any winning driver on the 12-turn course is 13th, by Davey Allison in 1991. Fourteen of the last 15 winners at Infineon have started in the top seven.

"This is pretty devastating news here at the racetrack," said Gordon, winner of five of the last nine Sonoma events. "You know, let's do something we've never seen done before. That's where I stand. This definitely puts us into a box, and we're going to have to work our way out of it. We have one of the best teams out there, I love the road courses, I brought a great racecar. I'm looking forward at getting out there sometime [Saturday] and seeing what we've got for them."

Hendrick's other cars, those of Kyle Busch and Casey Mears, passed inspection. The issue with the Nos. 24 and 48 vehicles stemmed from a 10-inch-wide piece of each car's front fender -- not the COT-specific splitter -- that did not meet NASCAR regulations. The piece in question wasn't one measured by a car template, so the Hendrick crews felt safe in adjusting it. They learned Friday that they were incorrect. (Continued)