Following Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR officials disqualified cars driven by apparent top-five finishers Ryan Preece and Joey Logano after discovering technical violations in both cars’ rear spoilers during post-race inspection.
Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford initially crossed the finish line in a career-best second place, just half a car-length behind race winner Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Mustang in the Jack Link’s 500. However, officials found unapproved shims in the rear spoiler area of Preece’s car, leading to his disqualification.
Similarly, Logano had driven the No. 22 Ford to an apparent fifth-place finish, which would have been his first top-five result of the season. Officials determined that the No. 22 was in violation of Section 14.5.8.E, which covers spoiler braces used at 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.”
Team Penske released a statement addressing Logano’s disqualification, stating, “The No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang was disqualified following post-race inspection at Talladega today. 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.”
As a result of the disqualifications, Preece was relegated to 38th in the 39-car field, while Logano was placed last in the official results. Both drivers also earned just one point in the championship standings, erasing what would have been a 40-point day for Preece and 41 points for Logano.
The outcome capped off a disappointing day for RFK Racing, as Chris Buescher (34th place) and owner/driver Brad Keselowski (36th) suffered early retirements due to Stage 1 crashes. Logano’s teammate, Ryan Blaney, who was caught up in the Keselowski incident, finished 37th, rounding out a difficult race for Team Penske.
In addition to the disqualifications, NASCAR officials announced 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 undergo a full inspection and engine dyno tests, while the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (Ty Dillon) and No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (Bubba Wallace) will also be observed on the engine dyno.
