NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick has not only been stripped of his locked-in finale status in the upcoming 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in Miami, but he’ll also be lacking his car chief and crew chief after a failed inspection ruined his Texas Motor Speedway win. Despite efforts in the race culture to keep everything on a level playing field, he was recently penalized resulting from a modified spoiler. The news left fans wondering what changes to anticipate in the close of the season and next year’s series.
At the heart of the issue was the aerodynamic edge this spoiler would have resulted in. NASCAR feels that Stewart-Haas Racing deceived officials, resulting in Harvick’s win at Texas Motor Speedway. Its Research and Development Center determined the altered part to be reflective of the team’s intent and subsequently stripped Harvick of his spot in the finale. Fans of the driver and the team rallied with social media support, but it was all for naught. Following the penalty, Stewart-Haas Racing released a statement saying it would not appeal. “We work tirelessly across every inch of our race cars to create speed and, unfortunately, NASCAR determined we ventured into an area not accommodated by its rule book,” Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition for SHR identified. “We will not appeal the penalty. Instead, we will direct our immediate focus to this weekend’s event in Phoenix and control our destiny on the race track.”
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Despite best efforts to keep specifics to a minimum, following infractions, the details of Harvick’s penalties were revealed late on Wednesday, November 7, following his finale spot being revoked. This resulted from mounting criticism around its severity. In further response, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, Scott Miller, was quoted as saying SHR took the concept of exploring new racing technology and pushing the legal boundaries “into borderline ridiculous territory.” In addition, with respect to the Phoenix race on Sunday, November 11, Miller noted to nbcdfw.com: “It’s unfortunate that now we’ll be pulling spoilers off and having to do another inspection when the teams should really be bringing legal cars to the race track.”
Photo: Facebook/Kevin Harvick
It wasn’t only SHR that was reviewed for potential infractions. Three additional cars were taken back to the Research and Development Center following the early November Texas Motor Speedway race, and all three failed. It may be a sign of new things to come in NASCAR. The possibility of a revised penalty system for the 2019 season may be on the immediate horizon. But what is the result if a penalty is imposed following a win – such as in Harvick’s case? Miller has promised the four championship contending cars will undergo intense scrutiny and said the post-Homestead-race procedure will be similar to that of the Daytona 500. Engine examinations will take place at the track immediately following the race. The entire racing culture has definitely changed as a result of the money and the sponsorships in place – and the subsequent alterations that can be made to capture a fraction of a second on the opponent. Is it alienating the true fan? Apparently not, if Harvick’s following has anything to say about it.
