TALLADEGA, Ala. — NASCAR officials disqualified cars driven by apparent top-five finishers Ryan Preece and Joey Logano from Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway after finding technical violations in both cars’ rear spoilers in post-race inspection.
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Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford took the checkered flag in what was initially a career-best second place, half a car-length behind race winner Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Mustang in Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500. Officials, however, discovered unapproved shims in the rear spoiler area.
Logano had driven the No. 22 Ford to an apparent fifth-place finish, a result that would have been his first top-five result of the season. Officials, however, found the No. 22 to be in violation of Section 14.5.8.E, which covers spoiler braces that are used as superspeedway events, and Section 14.1.P under General Vehicle Assembly, which states, “All fasteners must be securely fastened at all times during an Event.”
“The No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang was disqualified following post-race inspection at Talladega today,” Team Penske released in a statement. “One of the 18 bolts on the surface of the spoiler that connect to the base was found to be loose, and NASCAR penalized the team as a result. This was not intentional and happened throughout the course of the race event. Team Penske accepts the disqualification.”
On Monday, RFK Racing announced on social media that it also accepts the penalty and will not file an appeal.
“RFK Racing acknowledges and accepts NASCAR’s decision to disqualify the No. 60 Ford Mustang following post-race inspection at Talladega and will not appeal the ruling,” the team’s statement said. “The infraction stemmed from an unintentional adjustment during pre-race inspection to correct a spoiler angle issue. While the change did not provide a competitive advantage, it did not meet the approved compliance method. We respect the ruling and remain committed to integrity and adherence to NASCAR’s standards.”
Preece was relegated to 38th in the 39-car field, with Logano placed last in the official results. Both drivers also earned just one point in the championship standings, with the disqualification erasing what would have been a 40-point day for Preece and 41 points for Logano.
The outcome rounded out a dismal day for RFK Racing, which suffered early retirements by Chris Buescher (34th place) and owner/driver Brad Keselowski (36th) because of Stage 1 crashes. Logano joined teammate Ryan Blaney, who was 37th after being caught up in the Keselowski crack-up, near the bottom of the order.
NASCAR officials also indicated that four cars would return to its Research & Development Center for further inspection. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (driver Kyle Larson) and No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (Josh Berry) will have a full inspection and engine dyno tests. The No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Ty Dillon) and No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (Bubba Wallace) will also be observed on the engine dyno.