Talladega Superspeedway delivered yet another wild chapter in NASCAR history — but this time, it wasn’t on the track where the biggest drama unfolded. After a chaotic race that saw drivers battling inches apart at nearly 200 mph, Ryan Preece crossed the line in second place and Joey Logano locked down a solid fifth. Or so they thought.
In a jaw-dropping twist, both Preece and Logano were disqualified during post-race inspection, stunning fans, teams, and analysts alike. NASCAR officials found serious violations with their spoilers — a critical part of any Cup car’s aerodynamics.
For Preece, the violation was technical but costly: his car had three shims on the spoiler instead of the permitted two. In NASCAR, even the smallest tweaks to the spoiler can dramatically change airflow and speed — and officials are relentless when it comes to keeping the playing field level. Meanwhile, Logano’s issue seemed almost unbelievable for a top-tier team like Team Penske: his car was missing a critical spoiler bolt.
It didn’t matter how small the infractions might seem. NASCAR handed down the ultimate punishment — stripping both drivers of their hard-earned finishes and wiping their points from the board. In a sport where every point matters toward playoff hopes and championship dreams, this wasn’t just a slap on the wrist. It was a brutal gut punch.
Fans were left buzzing with disbelief. How could two top teams let such critical errors slip through? Was it a simple oversight… or something bigger? Speculation immediately took off across social media, with some calling it an embarrassing mistake and others suggesting teams are pushing the rulebook to the very edge — and sometimes past it — to find every competitive advantage.
Whatever the case, the fallout is massive. Preece, who rarely finds himself in a position to grab a second-place finish, lost what could have been a career-defining day. Logano, a perennial title contender, now faces an even steeper climb in the standings.
Talladega is always unpredictable, but nobody saw this one coming. What started as a celebration for some ended in chaos, controversy, and two major names sent packing from the official results sheet.
NASCAR made it clear: no matter who you are, the rules are the rules. And at Talladega, they just cost Ryan Preece and Joey Logano everything.
Shock at Talladega: Ryan Preece and Joey Logano Disqualified After Spoiler Scandal
