After crossing the line in the top five, two NASCAR Ford teams were disqualified following the April 27th, 2025 Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. One of them was Ryan Preece, who initially finished second, and the other was Joey Logano, who crossed the line in fifth, but both of them were stripped of their finishing positions after illegal parts were found their Ford Mustang Dark Horse race cars.
According to a penalty report from NASCAR.com, Preece’s No. 60 NASCAR Ford Mustang was found to have unapproved shims in the rear spoiler area. Logano’s No. 22 Mustang, meanwhile, also had an issue with the rear spoiler, as one of the fasteners was not properly secured. As such, Logano’s race car violated Section 14.5.8.E in the NASCAR Rule Book, which refers to spoiler braces that are used at 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.”
Team Penske, the NASCAR Ford outfit that fields Logano’s No. 22 Mustang, indicated that it would not attempt to appeal the disqualification. That leaves Logano with a 39th-place finish on the record at Talladega. Interestingly, a second Team Penske car, the No. 2 Mustang of Austin Cindric, won the race and cleared postrace inspection.
“The No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang was disqualified following post-race inspection at Talladega today,” Team Penske said in a release. “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.”
Preece, meanwhile, was relegated to 38th as a result of his disqualification. Officials found that the spoiler on the No. 60 Mustang violated a guideline that states teams can use a maximum of two full-width single-piece graduated carbon fiber shims as the only permitted way to alter spoiler angle. Specifically, Preece’s race car had three shims installed.
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, the team that fields Preece’s race car, stated that it will not appeal the disqualification.
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NASCAR teams cheating? I’m shocked!