Blaney finished sixth and scored eight stage points at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but was later disqualified when the No. 12 Team Penske Ford failed post-race inspection.
The reason behind the initial disqualification was for violating NASCAR Rule Book section 14.11.3.5, which lists the minimum extended damper lengths for each shock.
Blaney was 56pts below the cut-line in the playoffs after being disqualified, but is now back to just 17pts out after having his original finish reinstated. He jumps back ahead of Chris Buescher and now sits seventh among the eight remaining title contenders.
A statement from NASCAR read as follows:
“After further review of the inspection process throughout this weekend’s events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR has rescinded the No. 12 disqualification penalty.
“Monday morning during its race weekend debrief, NASCAR discovered an issue with the damper template used for inspection.
“NASCAR then conducted a detailed investigation, and has restored the No. 12’s stage and race finishing positions from Sunday.
“NASCAR has taken internal steps to remedy this issue moving forward.”
Kyle Larson locked himself into the Championship 4 after winning the race, narrowly beating Christopher Bell by 0.082s at the finish line.
William Byron is now nine points above the elimination zone, followed by Martin Truex Jr. (+2pts) and Denny Hamlin (+2pts). It’s then Bell (-2pts), Tyler Reddick (-16pts), Blaney (-17pts), and Buescher (-23pts).
Team Penske released the following statement in response to the Monday’s news:
“We are pleased with the decision by NASCAR to rescind the post-race disqualification to the No. 12 car following Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR has shown a tremendous amount of integrity throughout the process which has led to this conclusion. We are proud of the effort and the results by the No. 12 team during the 2023 season. We look forward to continuing the pursuit of the NASCAR Cup Series championship.”