In a shocking turn of events at Talladega Superspeedway, Ryan Preece and Joey Logano have been stripped of their finishing positions in the NASCAR Cup Series race. Preece, who initially claimed second place, and Logano, who secured fifth place, faced disqualification after post-race inspections. This unexpected development has reshuffled the standings, with Austin Cindric now officially declared as the race winner.
The disqualifications of Preece and Logano have caused a cascade of changes in the final race results. Kyle Larson has been elevated to second place, followed by William Byron, Noah Gragson, and Chase Elliott. The top ten is rounded out by Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez, and Austin Dillon. Logano has been relegated to 39th place, while Preece now sits in 38th place in the revised running order.
The infractions that led to the disqualifications centered around the rear spoiler of the drivers’ cars. Preece’s No. 60 Ford was found to have an extra carbon fiber shim on the rear spoiler, exceeding the allowable limit of two shims for superspeedways. Meanwhile, Logano’s No. 22 Ford had an unsecured bolt on the rear spoiler, prompting the penalties.
As a consequence of the disqualifications, both drivers have also been stripped of their stage points earned during the race. Preece forfeited five points, while Logano lost nine, leaving them with a mere single point each. The sudden shift in the standings has knocked Preece down from 12th to 18th place in the regular season rankings, pushing him out of the provisional playoff grid. Logano’s drop from eighth to 11th in the points standings further underscores the repercussions of the post-race inspection findings.
While both teams have the option to appeal the disqualifications, Team Penske has already indicated that they will not contest Logano’s penalty. RFK Racing, on the other hand, has yet to announce whether they will pursue an appeal for Preece’s penalty. A statement from the Penske organization acknowledged the issue with Logano’s car, attributing it to an unintentional loose bolt on the spoiler.
In a related development, several cars are being sent back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further scrutiny. The No. 5 Chevrolet of Larson, the No. 10 Chevrolet of Ty Dillon, the No. 21 Ford of Josh Berry, and the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace are all undergoing engine dyno tests. Notably, Larson and Berry’s cars will undergo comprehensive teardowns and inspections as part of the ongoing review process.
