NASCAR officials disclose Kevin Harvick’s Talladega Cup car found to be missing 7 windshield fasteners

The state of Kevin Harvick's car after the Talladega Cup Series race left NASCAR officials with no choice but to disqualify him from the race.

Last Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway, Kevin Harvick lost his win to Ryan Blaney in a photo finish but was disqualified after his No. 4 SHR Ford failed post-race inspection.

The disqualification is the result of a violation of NASCAR Rule Book sections 14.5.6.2.F Windshield and 14.1.E&P Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules.

Windshield fasteners must remain in place throughout an event, according to Rule 14.5.6.2. When officials first viewed Harvick's No. 4 during the post-race inspection, they found the windshield to be unstable and the seal to be shattered.

On Saturday at Charlotte Roval, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran showed pictures from the inspection showing why Harvick's car was disqualified. He said:

“Unfortunately, with the No. 4 vehicle, we have photos because we didn’t take any of the parts because it was fasteners. There were three bolts along the windshield that were missing. The windshield seal blew out. Seven of the eight fasteners along the top were loose or missing. There are eight in total."

According to Moran, the windshields were firmly fastened during the pre-race inspection but they became loose or were loosened afterwards.

“The rule is pretty simple; they must be secure and fastened throughout the entire event, how they come loose, that’s not up to us to decide. It’s almost impossible for them to come loose with the parts and pieces that are supplied to the car."

He did not specify how the windshields were loosened but he confirmed that they were tight before the race.

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SHR did not appeal Kevin Harvick's disqualification

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Monday that it will not appeal Kevin Harvick's disqualification at Talladega.

"At the completion of the race, not all of our windshield fasteners were secure, as we had bolts that hold the windshield in place back out over the course of the 500 miles. We are in the process of diagnosing why this happened and how to prevent it moving forward," the team released a statement.

"We are disappointed in NASCAR's decision to disqualify our racecar and the hard-earned finish by our driver and team, but we will not appeal. Our complete focus is on the remaining races on this year's schedule."

Harvick became the first driver at Talladega Superspeedway to be disqualified since 1972. Harvick is having a winless season which happens to be his final season in NASCAR before retirement.