NASCAR driver disqualified after Martinsville playoff race

While it didn’t affect the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture, Brad Keselowski lost a season-high result after the race at Martinsville Speedway.

Prior to Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski hadn’t finished in the top four since the October race at the track last season.

On Sunday, he crossed the line to finish in a season-high fourth place, but that result was stripped from him and his #6 team after the race.

NASCAR cited section 14.11.2 in the rule book and ruled that Keselowski’s #6 Ford did not meet the minimum weight requirement in post-race technical inspection.

This decision marks the third disqualification of the 2022 season.

The top two finishers in the July race at Pocono Raceway, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, were both disqualified from that event.

But it marks the second time that Keselowski has effectively been docked points this year, as he was issued a 100-point penalty after the March race at Atlanta Motor Speedway when a violation was discovered during teardown at the NASCAR R&D Center.

Notably, this disqualification did not have any effect on the drivers who advanced to the Championship 4. Team Penske’s Joey Logano had already been locked in after winning the round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell became the second driver to win his way into the Championship 4 by winning Sunday’s race.

Trackhouse Racing Team’s Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott both advanced to the final round on points.

Initially, they both finished four points ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, the first driver below the cut line. Chastan was originally scored in fifth place with Hamlin in sixth and Elliott in 11th.

With Keselowski disqualified, Chastain officially ended up six points ahead of Hamlin, with Elliott still four ahead. Chastain was scored in fourth place with Hamlin in fifth and Elliott in 10th.

Keselowski finished ahead of Chastain in both of the first two stages, as he finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively, while Chastain finished in ninth in both.

So Chastain officially picked up three additional points (two from his two stage promotions to eighth place) with Keselowski’s disqualification instead of just one due to his promotion to fourth in the final results.

Hamlin won the first two stages of Sunday’s race, so he had no way of picking up any additional stage points no matter who was disqualified, and Elliott finished both in second place, putting him in a similar situation. They both picked up one point each due to their promotions in the final results.

Keselowski sits in 24th place in the championship standings heading into the 2022 season finale.