SHR breaks silence on the ‘disappointing decision from NASCAR’ to disqualify Kevin Harvick at Talladega
Stewart Haas Racing has confirmed that he will not appeal the DNQ.
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Kevin Harvick (Via IMAGO)
2014 NASCAR Cup series champion Kevin Harvick secured his best-ever finish at Talladega since 2010 on Sunday with his P2 finish. He missed out on the win with just a 12/1000th seconds gap to race winner Ryan Blaney. It was the closest he has come to scoring a win this season. But all his efforts and points scored from a solid finish went to waste when NASCAR disqualified his car.
In the post-race inspection, a windshield screw was spotted being lost. A loose screw can increase the airflow and give the drivers an unfair advantage. So, the team was booked under sections 14.5.6.2.F (windshield) and 14.1.E& (overall assembled vehicle rules) of the NASCAR Rule Book. They were disqualified and stripped of all points. He was credited a P38 finish.
Stewart Haas Racing, though disappointed by the decision, has announced that they will not appeal against the call. Greg Zipadelli, SHR’s chief competition officer, admitted in a statement that a few of their windshield fasteners weren’t secured, and it caused the penalty. He added that the team is assessing what went wrong to prevent such incidents from reopening.
“At the completion of the race, not all of our windshield fasteners were secure, as we had bolts that hold the windshield in place back out over the course of the 500 miles. We are in the process of diagnosing why this happened and how to prevent it moving forward. We are disappointed in NASCAR’s decision to disqualify our racecar and the hard-earned finish by our driver and team, but we will not appeal,” Zipadelli said, as reported by the RACER.
In case you missed it: WATCH: “Super Brad strikes again”- Fans react as Brad Keselowski and Carson Hocevar instigate a multi-car mayhem at Talladega
SHR has already shifted its focus to coming races
Zipadelli pointed out that the team has already moved on from the disappointment and is now focused on making sure they end the season on a high note. He said, “Our complete focus is on the remaining races on this year’s schedule.”
The 2023 season so far has been a nightmare for SHR. None of their drivers other than Kevin Harvick has been consistent. Aric Almirola and Ryan Preece had one of the worst years of their career. Chase Briscoe, who is supposed to lead the team once Harvick retires this year, showed some signs of brilliance here and there but nothing more.
They were the team most affected by the overall poor performance of Ford cars. They also lost their No:2 ranked Ford team status to RFK Racing. Regardless of all this, if the team fails to give Harvick a car capable of winning in his final season, it is a poor send, and the team has the responsibility of giving one of their all-time best drivers a proper sent-off.
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Justin P Joy
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