CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR has levied a heavy penalty against Kevin Harvick — one of the Cup Series’ most outspoken drivers about safety concerns with the Next Gen car — after the sanctioning body said it found illegal modifications on the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford used at Talladega Superspeedway.
In penalties announced Wednesday, three days after the race at the Alabama track, NASCAR docked both Harvick and SHR 100 points each, fined crew chief Rodney Childers $100,000 and suspended Childers for the next four races. NASCAR said the penalties were for “modification of a single source supplied part.”
The discovery was made after Harvick’s car was selected by to be taken from Talladega to its North Carolina R&D Center for a deeper inspection.
Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion who ranted about Next Gen safety as recently as last week, wrote this on Twitter minutes before the penalty was announced: “Seems strange…”
NASCAR maintains its picking of cars for inspection at the R&D Center is done randomly. Competitors believe there’s nothing random about the process.