Veteran race car driver Kevin Harvick would have finished in the top 5 at the Talladega Superspeedway had NASCAR not intervened. The 47-year-old was disqualified as his car did not comply with NASCAR’s “Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules.” In what has already been a disappointing season for the retiring veteran, it is just a bit more bad luck. Harvick will bid his farewell to the sport at the end of this season, but he is yet to win a race in 2023. Some people believe Stewart-Haas Racing knew exactly what they were doing,and that includes Richard Petty.

Kevin Harvick has had a torrid campaign this year. The 47-year-old might have hoped to leave the sport on a high but things have just not worked out. There have been a few occasions where the Stewart-Haas Racing car driver has been quite competitive but just not fast enough to clinch victory. It is a testament to Harvick’s skills that he still managed to make it into the first round of the playoffs.

Richard Petty calls out Kevin Harvick for cheeky tactics

According to NASCAR, a post-race inspection of the #4 SHR car revealed that its windshield fasteners were not secured throughout the entire race. In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin explained how these windshields can give the car an aerodynamic advantage.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star said that it would be aerodynamically advantageous for the windshields to be higher than the greenhouse that it bolted to. Greenhouse here essentially means the area above the door and between the front and rear windows. A higher windshield would ensure air being deflected from inside the car and over the spoiler. As a result, the drag would be significantly reduced.

According to seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty, Stewart-Haas Racing knew exactly what they were doing with the #4 car. And it’s not just him. A lot of people seem to have the same view.

In a recent Instagram reel, Richard Petty said, “I don’t think that was a mistake. I think intentionally somewhere down the line somebody figured out that if the brackets that were holding the windshield came loose, somehow or another the windshield changes, and the aerodynamics changed on the car. You know you gotta figure that he was the best of that particular group of cars and so the rest of them must not have been doing what he was doing.”

The reel was liked by another prominent NASCAR legend, Mark Martin. It just goes to show what a part of the NASCAR community thinks of the decision. But SHR has also not made it easy for people to believe them.

Read More – “It’s a Brand Thing”-Denny Hamlin Distances Michael Jordan & Co. From NASCAR’s Allegiance With Obscure “Policies” Claim

Stewart-Haas Racing refuses to appeal despite being “disappointed”

Trending

Reality Struck Shane van Gisbergen Has His Playoffs Chances Cut Short Even Before His Full Time Debut in 2025

NASCAR Fans Left Praying as Town of the “World’s Fastest 1/2 Mile” Declared a Site of “Mass Casualty”

NASCAR Fans Back Kyle Busch’s Son’s Desperate Plea Amidst Denny Hamlin’s ‘Bad Luck’ Reluctance

“My Body Needed Time”: Tony Stewart’s Wife, Leah, Discloses Her Roadblocks to Motherhood Amid Racing Dilemma

Cole Custer Drops 5-Word Confession as He Hands Tony Stewart & Co Another Championship Crown

If a team is finishing in the top five and they believe that someone has wrongly disqualified them, wouldn’t they appeal the decision? The answer is yes, but SHR did the exact opposite. After the penalty was levied, SHR competition director Greg Zipadelli confirmed that the team would refrain from appealing. However, he maintained that they were disappointed by the decision.

“At the completion of the race, not all of our windshield fasteners were secure, as we had bolts that hold the windshield in place back out over the course of the 500 miles. We are in the process of diagnosing why this happened and how to prevent it moving forward,” Zipadelli said.

“We are disappointed in NASCAR’s decision to disqualify our race car and the hard-earned finish by our driver and team, but we will not appeal. Our complete focus is on the remaining races on this year’s schedule,” he added.

From Kevin Harvick’s perspective, however, it is yet another chapter in the series of disappointments. One can only hope that the retiring legend can win at least one race before he hangs up his boots.

Watch This Story: Bubba Wallace Receives a Five Word Ultimatum From His NASCAR Team Employee Just Hours Before Billionaire Michael Jordan’s Approval