7 rare pre-race disqualifications you didn’t know happened in NASCAR

In NASCAR, disqualifications are usually a post-race storyline when a car fails inspection after the checkered flag. But on rare occasions, driver disqualifications are often triggered by technical infractions found during pre-race inspections.

Pre-race DQs can be costly. They waste weeks of preparation, end a race weekend before it begins, and can come with hefty fines. In the NASCAR Cup Series, the most recent case happened in 1994, when Jeff Burton was tossed from Richmond Raceway just hours before the Miller 400 for a safety violation on his car’s roll cage.

With the 2025 Cook Out 400 at Richmond coming up, here's a look back at the seven times in NASCAR history a driver was disqualified before the race even began.

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Seven pre-race disqualifications in NASCAR

7. Adam Petty - 1999, Lowe's Motor Speedway (Busch Series)

Adam Petty before qualifying for the 1999 Napa Auto Parts 300. Source: Imagn

In October 1999, Adam Petty set the fastest time in second-round qualifying for the All Pro 300 at Charlotte in the Busch Series (now Xfinity). But his Petty Enterprises' No. 45 Chevrolet's run was deleted in post-qualifying inspection.

Officials discovered an illegal carburetor modification: a groove attached to the gasket below the carburetor, which allowed extra airflow. NASCAR immediately disqualified him from the race. Kyle Petty, the team owner, was fined $15,000, and crew chief Jim Murray was fined $2,500.

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6. Jeff Burton - 1994, Richmond International Raceway (Cup Series)

Jeff Burton, after blowing an engine during the 2011 Daytona 500. Source: Imagn

The most recent pre-race DQ in Cup history happened on a Saturday at Richmond. In the final Miller 400 practice session, an inspector casually placed his hand on Jeff Burton's roll bar and noticed holes on the top of the safety cage. The modification was aimed at reducing weight, but NASCAR deemed it both illegal and a safety hazard.

Burton and the Stavola Brothers Racing team were removed from the event and fined $10,000. The penalty was the largest of its kind since Junior Johnson's suspension in 1991.

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5. Geoffrey Bodine - 1982, Charlotte Motor Speedway (Xfinity Series)

Geoff Bodine before the 1985 Daytona 500. Source: Getty

Driving part-time for owner Frank Plessinger in the No. 99 Pontiac, Geoffrey Bodine was set to make one of his 10 Busch Series starts of the 1982 season at Charlotte’s fall race. However, pre-race inspection found an issue with the carburetor. NASCAR disqualified him before the race began, in what was supposed to be his last race that year.

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4. Harry Gant - 1982, Charlotte Motor Speedway (Xfinity Series)

Stan Barrett and Harry Gant in the 1981 Firecracker 400. Source: Getty

In the same Charlotte weekend that saw Bodine disqualified, veteran Harry Gant, running his No. 77 Pontiac in the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series, was also sent packing before the green flag. Like Bodine, his infraction involved the carburetor. Gant had raced sparingly in the series that year but had already won the spring race at Charlotte. The fall event never started for him, as NASCAR ruled the carburetor illegal and disqualified the car.

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3. David Pearson - 1966, Atlanta Motor Speedway (Cup Series)

David Pearson before the 1969 400 Grand National race at Fairgrounds Speedway. Source: Imagn

David Pearson was coming off a dominant season in 1966 when he arrived at Atlanta for the Dixie 400. But before the race began, NASCAR ruled his No. 6 Owens Racing Dodge illegal. While Bill France protested, the specific details weren’t disclosed at the time, and the decision stood. He returned the next week and won at Columbia, and went on to claim his first championship that year with 15 wins.

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2. Curtis Turner - 1966, Bristol Motor Speedway (Cup Series)

Curtis Turner (99), Glenn Roberts (22), and Jim Cushman (10) during the 1956 Daytona Road Course race. Source: Getty

Curtis Turner's return to NASCAR in 1966 was a year he made 21 starts with five different teams. But his March trip to Bristol ended before the green flag. Driving for Holman-Moody Racing in the #41 Ford, Turner's car failed inspection because the front wheel track width was too wide.

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1. Rex White - 1961, Darlington Raceway (Cup Series)

Rex White's No. 4 car after he wrecked at the 1961 Nashville 500.Source: Imagn

The first known pre-race disqualification in NASCAR came at the fall race at Darlington in 1961. Rex White, the defending champion, was driving the No. 4 Chevrolet for Jack Smith when officials found his engine mounting illegal.

White was barred from starting the race, ending his weekend before it began. He still had a stellar year, winning seven races and finishing second in the standings behind Ned Jarrett, who scored 27,272 points - 830 more than White.