Why did NASCAR disqualify Kevin Harvick at Talladega?
Kevin Harvick missed out on a provisional win with a 12/1000th of a-second gap to Ryan Blaney.
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Kevin Harvick (Via IMAGO)
The NASCAR playoff race at Talladega was another disappointing event for Stewart Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick. He missed a win after Ryan Blaney of Team Penske Racing took the flag with twelve one-thousandths of a second. The 2014 Cup champions’ woes were doubled when NASCAR disqualified him for vehicle assembly violations.
During the post-race inspection following his P2 finish, the No:4 SHR Ford Mustang was found to be violating Sections 14.5.6.2.F and 14.1.E and P. The first section deals with “windshield fasteners must remain secure for the entire Event,” and the second session is concerned with “Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules.”
Harvick was stripped of his P2 finish and credited a P38 finish, the lowest possible due to the DNQ. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron got promoted to P2, while every other driver saw a one-place promotion in the final race result as well. The disqualification also means he lost all three stage points he earned by P8 finish in stage one.
Harvick is set to retire at the end of the 2023 season, and as the season has gone for his team so far, there is a strong possibility that he will end the season winless. It will not be the farewell Dale Earnhardt’s RCR successor deserves, but a win or no win, one season won’t define the future first-ballot Hall of Famer’s career.
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Kevin Harvick explains his last lap battle
Before receiving the post-race inspection verdict, a bummed-out Kevin Harvick talked to the media about the dissipating end to the race. He pointed out that he was confident about winning until Riley Herbst took over William Byron’s spot behind him. But once Herbst spun, he had no one to side-draft, and it yielded the P2 finish.
“Well, I just tried to block the lanes, and then I was kind of late blocking the 12 there. He got to the outside of US, but it actually worked out okay because the 24 was a great pusher. Then it got shuffled again, and I had Riley behind me,” Harvick said, as reported by Speedway Digest.
“I thought I was in a really good spot headed down the back straightaway with everything that was happening because I knew if I could get off the trioval with Riley right on my bumper, I was still going to be okay, and then he got spun in the middle of the trioval,” Harvick added.
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Justin P Joy
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