TALLADEGA, Ala. — Kevin Harvick’s car was disqualified after it failed post-race inspection Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, negating his runner-up finish to winner Ryan Blaney.
NASCAR stated that the windshield fasteners were not secure on Harvick’s car.
NASCAR cited three sections of the Cup Rulebook:
Section 14.5.6.2.F: “Windshield fasteners must remain secure for the entire Event.”
Section 14.1.E: “Except in cases explicitly permitted in the NASCAR Rules, parts and/or assemblies must be assembled and utilized as outlined in the NASCAR Rules.
Section 14.1.P: “All fasteners must be securely fastened at all times during an Event.”
“There have been times I’ve got caught doing something I shouldn’t have,” said crew chief Rodney Childers about the disqualification on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Today got DQ’d for the car buffering in the draft all day and some windshield bolts vibrating out. My guys had silicon on the threads and gobbed on the tip. Still came out. Not sure what else we could do.”
The penalty means that Harvick will be listed as finishing last in Sunday’s race despite crossing the finish line .012 seconds — about the length of a car hood — behind Blaney.
“Dang it,” Harvick said on his team’s radio immediately after the race. “We needed one more push.”
Had there not been a crash coming to the checkered flag, Harvick might have crossed the line first.
“You’re just trying to play the lines, and I didn’t want the bottom to get a big run,” Harvick said after the race. “The way it all cycled out there, we were in a good spot until Riley (Herbst) got turned in the middle of tri-oval there and at that point I was kind of all alone with two of them pushing at the bottom.”
Harvick led on the backstretch of the final lap. Blaney paced the outside lane and had Herbst behind him. They got a run on Harvick and Blaney darted to the inside lane and got beside Harvick. That put Herbst behind Harvick on the outside lane entering Turn 3.
Blaney surged ahead in Turn 3 with a push from William Byron. As Harvick and Blaney ran side-by-side through the tri-oval, Herbst drifted up and contact from behind by Corey LaJoie turned Herbst into Chase Elliott, triggering a crash at the finish.
“I feel like if I could have had the last lap back, there’s not much I could have done differently,” Herbst said. “I just wish I didn’t close on (Harvick) on the back because when I closed so fast, I had to drag the brake and that’s when (LaJoie) got attached to me. That’s when I feel like we hooked bumpers and he kind of turned me through the tri-oval. I wish that didn’t happen and maybe would have had a shot to win, but I probably would have gave too much momentum to Harvick and probably would have finished second or third.”
Blaney used Byron’s push to stay ahead of Harvick at the line.
The result continued a frustrating playoffs for Harvick. He had one of the best cars in the Southern 500 but his bid to win ended with a pit road penalty. He finished five laps behind the leaders at Bristol and was eliminated after the first round.