Why were Joey Logano and Ryan Preece disqualified at Talladega?

Joey Logano and Ryan Preece were disqualified from the Talladega Cup Series race after post-race inspection.

Why were Joey Logano and Ryan Preece disqualified at Talladega?

Joey Logano (via Athlonsports) and Ryan Preece (via Racingnews.co)

Ryan Preece and Joey Logano had a good run at Talladega last weekend during the NASCAR Cup Series race. However, the two Ford drivers were given bad news after the race. Officials disqualified both cars after post-race inspections, stripping them of their finishing positions. Preece had crossed the line in second place, while Logano ended the weekend in fifth.

The No. 60 RFK Racing Ford of Preece was disqualified for having three carbon fiber shims on the rear spoiler, one extra than the two permitted on superspeedways. While Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford was found to have an unsecured bolt on the rear spoiler, an unexpected error in a championship like the Cup Series.

While Ryan Preece‘s race classification dropped down to 38th, Joey Logano fell to 39th place. The two Ford drivers were also stripped off of their stage points over the course of the race. This led to the RFK star losing five points with the Team Penske driver losing nine.

Both drivers leave the weekend with a single point each to their names. Logano now stands 11th in the regular season standings, three places lower after the DSQ. On the other hand, Preece dropped from 12th to 18th.

Team Penske will not appeal Joey Logano DSQ

NASCAR teams are allowed to appeal disqualifications following a race. However, Logano’s Team Penske has already ruled out such a move. The team has accepted that the bolt was not secured, insisting that it was an unintentional error. Penske likely took the right call, as an appeal would not have really changed things as it was not a subjective disqualification.

Joey Logano
Joey Logano (Via IMAGO)

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.

Team Penske said in a statement.

While RFK Racing is yet to comment on the incident. It is likely that Preece’s team would follow Penske in not appealing the disqualification as well. Due to the disqualifications, Kyle Larson was promoted to second place with William Byron to third. With Austin Cindric clinching victory in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Noah Gragson, Chase Elliot, Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez, and Austin Dillon made up the top ten.

The decision comes as a major blow to both teams who were satisfied with their runs in Talladega. Ryan Preece and Joey Logano led a combined 30 laps in the race. Both drivers were a real threat for victory throughout the event. Now, the two will be looking to forget this incident and bounce back at the next race.

Related: Austin Cindric steals Talladega race win from Ryan Preece with narrow 0.02 second lead