“I Didn’t Cry Myself to Sleep: Kevin Harvick Indifferent to NASCAR’s DQ Hammer From Talladega

At Talladega, Kevin Harvick came inches close to his first win of the season in his final season in the sport. It was a photo finish from which Ryan Blaney emerged victorious and Harvick came runner-up. However, that was soon taken away from him by NASCAR as they handed him a DQ that ensured he finished last in the race. The offense was Harvick’s windshield being unsecure, a violation of Rule 14.5.6.2.

But while a potential win turned to a runner’s up finish turned to a disqualification might seem pretty harsh, Harvick didn’t lose any sleep over it. The veteran recently explained how he felt about NASCAR’s decision and how much he knew of the ‘illegal’ part of his racecar.

Kevin Harvick didn’t think too much about his Talladega DQ

Ahead of the elimination race at the ROVAL, Kevin Harvick was asked whether NASCAR’s decision to DQ him from Talladega was a justifiable one in his mind and what his feelings regarding that were. “Obviously, you don’t want to be in the middle of those situations, but I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other, I can see it both ways. It’s just I did my job. I don’t know any other way to say that,” Harvick replied.

“I did my job and the rest of it is open for debate as to who did what and the rules good or bad or I don’t know. I don’t know all the scenarios from either side.”

Harvick claimed he can hear it and see it from both sides “in some way, shape, or form.” But as for digging deep into the subject of whether it was just or unjust, he didn’t. “I just went home and heard the news like everybody else and I went on with my week,” he added.

“I didn’t cry myself to sleep over that.”

Kevin Harvick said he wasn’t crying himself to sleep over the end of his NASCAR Cup Series driving career. But I wondered if he did over the disqualification last week. What he said Saturday: pic.twitter.com/LvB80SJGop

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 7, 2023

What NASCAR said about disqualifying Harvick from Talladega

Kevin Harvick almost winning at Talladega in a race with over 70 lead changes would’ve been the top headline from last week’s race. But Harvick’s disqualification surely tainted that as it became one of the biggest, if not the biggest, talking points from that race. Now, as cruel as that might’ve been, NASCAR didn’t have any other option but to do what they did.

“We don’t enjoy disqualifying competitors,” Brad Moran, Managing Director of the Cup Series, said as per Motorsport. “We had a great race at Talladega with over 70 lead changes. We would have liked that to be the top story.”

Moran explained that they didn’t know how or when the windshield came loose, but the rule says that it has to be tight for aero and more importantly, for safety reasons. As it turned out, they weren’t, Harvick was disqualified, and Harvick didn’t think too much about it.