After an agonizingly close finish to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, April 26, the NASCAR Cup Series delivered a similar photo finish in the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega. Amid an intense three-wide battle, Austin Cindric emerged at the top, denying Ryan Preece what could have been his long-awaited first Cup Series win.
While a second-place finish might sound good enough for Preece, NASCAR has now introduced a massive twist, the one that drops Preece to the bottom of the results list, making his weekend even more painful than it already was.
However, it turns out Preece isn’t alone on the disqualification list. Along with the RFK Racing driver, Team Penske’s Joey Logano also faced a similar verdict from the NASCAR board, with the three-time Cup champion forced to give up his hard-fought fifth-place finish.
The Reason Behind Joey Logano, Ryan Preece’s Talladega DQs
For Preece, NASCAR’s reason for the disqualification stemmed from his No. 60 Ford Mustang exceeding the maximum number of allowed shims on its spoiler. While the limit is currently set at two, Preece’s car had three. Meanwhile, Logano’s disqualification also involved the spoiler, but not the shims.
Here is the rule violated by Preece car that had three shims on its rear spoiler: pic.twitter.com/CHgpehgApv
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 28, 2025
Instead, the No. 22 car was missing a spoiler bolt, leading NASCAR to disqualify both cars with immediate effect. “For Super Speedway Events, a maximum of two full-width, single-piece graduated carbon fiber shims will be the only permitted method of altering spoiler angle,” the NASCAR rulebook says about Preece’s spoiler controversy.
On the other hand, here’s what the rulebook says regarding Logano’s latest rule breach: “For Super Speedway Events, spoiler braces must be used. Spoiler braces must be painted black.”
Here is the rule that Logano car violated: pic.twitter.com/QpthmYO5Z7
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 28, 2025
Quite unsurprisingly, the news didn’t sit well with fans, with the majority expressing sympathy for Preece. One user wrote, “The f***? Now you are making s*** up.”
Another fan shared a similar sentiment, questioning NASCAR’s authenticity behind such a major decision: “What!?! This is garbage!! Spoiler infractions? Y’all just making things up naw.”
One fan wrote, “I feel bad for Preece…Logano on the other hand not so much. Joey is turning into a major jackhole.”
Another user managed to call out NASCAR’s transition to Formula 1, with the stringent rules. “What the actual? Trying out ‘F1’ F1? C’mon NASCAR, be better!” the X user wrote.
What the actual? Trying out “F1” F1? C’mon NASCAR, be better!
— Dave Holden (@tx_tenor) April 28, 2025
Overall, this is certainly a heavy blow to Preece’s morale, especially during an already underwhelming phase with RFK Racing. Martinsville was the last time Preece finished inside the top 10. So, amid this unwanted streak, the question now is: Can Preece stage a strong comeback at Texas next weekend?
