CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Matt Sullivan/Getty Images North America photo —

After taking Ryan Newman’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS back to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, the sanctioning body has announced the No. 31 car has cleared post-race inspection from Talladega and that no penalties will be assessed following Sunday’s GEICO 500.

According to NASCAR in a statement released on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, race damage caused the rear end of Newman’s car to be low on both sides.

The result means there will be no change to the Eliminator Round competitors heading to this Sunday’s event at Martinsville Speedway — had Newman been penalized enough points, Kasey Kahne could have potentially been admitted into the round of eight.

Sunday’s fifth place finish at Talladega was Newman’s third top-five finish of the season in his first year at Richard Childress Racing. The Purdue University graduate is a former winner at this weekend’s venue, Martinsville, with a win in the spring race in April of 2012, but has never won the fall event.

The Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 will take the green flag Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, with live television coverage on ESPN.