RFK Racing reveals cause of Ryan Preece’s disqualification from Talladega NASCAR race
Ryan Preece was one of the two drivers to be disqualified from Talladega.
RFK Racing has revealed the root cause of Ryan Preece’s disqualification from the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega on Sunday.
Preece had originally secured his best career result in the Cup Series after finishing second on the road at Talladega Superspeedway, just 0.022s behind race winner Austin Cindric of Team Penske.
However, the #60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang was excluded from the results after post-race technical checks revealed the use of for using unapproved shims in the rear spoiler area.
RFK Racing has now explained that the DSQ was caused by an “unintentional” pre-race adjustment to the car to correct a spoiler angle.
The team maintains that it did not gain a competitive advantage because of the modification and is committed to “adhering” to NASCAR’s standards.
“RFK Racing acknowledges and accepts NASCAR's decision to disqualify the No. 60 Ford Mustang following post-race inspection at Talladega and will not appeal the ruling,” it said in a statement.
"The infraction stemmed from an unintentional adjustment during pre-race inspection to correct a spoiler angle issue. While the change did not provide a competitive advantage, it did not meet the approved compliance method. We respect the ruling and remain committed to integrity and adherence to NASCAR's standards."
Preece was relegated to 38th place in the 39-car field following the disqualification. The points lost have dealt him a hefty blow in the championship standings, dropping him from 14th to 19th place.
Penske driver Joey Logano, who took the chequered flag in fifth place, was also thrown out of the results for a spoiler infringement.
In his case, Penske revealed that “one of the 18 bolts on the surface of the spoiler that connect to the base was found to be loose.”
Like RFK, Penske has decided not to appeal against the disqualification.
Logano has slipped from 10th to 13th on the leaderboard after Talladega, but he remains in the hunt for a playoff spot.
