NASCAR has announced that Kevin Harvick would be penalized 100 points for modifications to his car in the YellaWood 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway Sunday. Harvick’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, will also receive a four-race suspension and $100,000 fine for the infractions, which remain unspecified.
Harvick was already far out of contention in the Cup Series, as he made the 16-team playoff but was already ranked last of the remaining drivers. A 100-point deduction leaves him 118 points behind 15th place.
At Talladega, any modifications to his car, illegal or otherwise, proved ineffective, as he only managed to earn eight points and finished 29th overall. But Harvick’s car was nevertheless one of two brought in for inspection following the race, and NASCAR concluded that the team had violated two sections of the rule book pertaining to parts changes.
Harvick and Childers remained coy in the wake of NASCAR’s investigation, as both released unclear tweets alluding to the incident. The pair have worked together since 2014 and won the Cup Series that year. They have been consistent playoff contenders since.
In reply to Harvick and Childers’ insinuation of targeting, NASCAR President Steve Phelps stood by the punishment and rejected any notion that the organization was going out of its way to hurt the team.
“No one has a vendetta against Kevin Harvick or Rodney, at all, or anyone at Stewart-Haas Racing,” Phelps told reporters. “Our guys are very good. They are going to look at (an infraction). Look at it again. Look at it a third time to make sure there’s a penalty and the penalty is right. If the four team thinks that’s not right, they will file an appeal.”
Harvick and Childers have not yet filed an appeal but could do so later this week. With five races remaining in the season, Childers would be set to return for the finale, though it’s impossible for the team to make it to the next round of the playoff.
