Ryan Preece crossed the finish line second on Sunday at Talladega but he and Joey Logano were both issued post-race disqualifications afterwards.
Logano was originally scored fifth, which would have been the best result of the season for the reigning three-time champion. Preece had briefly enjoyed his best finish at the highest level of the discipline.
Both teams were disqualified for violations found regarding the rear spoiler on their Ford Mustang Dark Horse cars.
For Preece and the RFK Racing No. 60, a third unapproved shim was found and the rules state that only two are permitted. This is Rule 14.5.8.F in the NASCAR Cup Series rule book.
As for Logano, NASCAR found the Team Penske No. 22 to be in violation of Section 14.5.8.E, which covers spoiler braces that are used as superspeedway events, and Section 14.1.P under General Vehicle Assembly, which states, “All fasteners must be securely fastened at all times during an Event.”
RFK has the option to appeal and Penske has already stated that it will not.
“The No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang was disqualified following post-race inspection at Talladega today,” Team Penske released in a statement. “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.”
Read more: How the race was won and lost
Preece falls from 11th to 18th in the standings as a result of the disqualification. He goes from 28 points above the playoff cutline to 14 points out of a provisional spot in the Round of 16.
Logano went from 73 above the cutline to 36.