3 high-profile NASCAR victories overturned after post-race inspection 

A new NASCAR rule was introduced in 2019 where the race winner, if found in breach of any regulations, or if the car did not meet the technical specifications during the post-race check, would be disqualified from the race result and sent to the back of the classification. As per the previous rules, NASCAR allowed the victories to stand for the driver but punished them and the team in terms of fines, suspension, and even race points.

However, with the introduction of the new rules, NASCAR cut the slack and enforced the stricter rules. Many drivers were disqualified from NASCAR races before 1960, but no driver was disqualified due to the new rules until Ross Chastain in 2019. Let's look at the three times a NASCAR driver was stripped of the victory during the post-race inspection.

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#3. Ross Chastain: Iowa 2019

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 - Practice - Source: Getty

Ross Chastain was the first victim of the new post-race inspection rule introduced by NASCAR which led to his disqualification at the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series race at the Iowa Speedway. Chastain drove for the Niece Motorsports team in the No.44 Chevrolet.

The truck was found in violation of the ride height guidelines provided by NASCAR. During the post-race check, Ross Chastain’s Chevrolet was found to be too low at the front end and hence was disqualified. NASCAR has a yardstick to measure the different levels of ride height, which includes a yellow warning zone and a red danger zone.

The No.44 truck reportedly was even below the Red level, hence the disqualification was awarded. This gave the No.24 GMS Racing Chevrolet driven by Brett Moffit.

#2 Denny Hamlin: Pocono 2022

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 - Practice - Source: Getty

Denny Hamlin started the race in pole position and crossed the line for what would've been his third victory of the year. Kyle Busch crossed the chequered flag behind Hamlin and finished P2. However, after the post-race checks, both Hamlin and the runner-up Busch were disqualified from the race.

The front aerodynamics were not in compliance with the NASCAR rules which led to the disqualification of both the Joe Gibbs Racing cars. NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran detailed the reason as he said, (via NASCAR)

“There was some issues discovered that affect aero of the vehicle. The part was the front fascia. And there really was no reason why there was some material that was somewhere that it shouldn’t have been, and that does basically come down to a DQ.”

The cars were taken to NASCAR’s Research and Development Center for further evaluation. The disqualification handed the win to the P3 finisher Chase Elliott.

#1 Parker Kligerman: Daytona 2024

Parker Kligerman became the most recent victim of NASCAR’s post-race checks where the No.75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado was disqualified after crossing the finish line in P1. Kligerman started outside the Top 10, but made up positions, took the lead in the final few laps, and crossed the chequered flag first.

However, the post-race inspections revealed that the No.75 truck was in infringement of the ride height rule at the rear end. Both sides of Parker Kligerman’s Chevrolet were below the permitted level, leading to a disqualification and handing the win over to Corey Heim.