Harvick will not be penalized for Talladega incident

Kevin Harvick will not be penalized for his part in Sunday's crash on the final restart of the Sprint Cup Contender round finale in Talladega, Alabama, to the dismay of a number of fans and fellow competitors. Rumors state that Harvick intentionally turned his ailing #4 Chevrolet into the #6 Ford of Trevor Bayne, triggering a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch, to avoid elimination for the second time in three weeks. Harvick won in Dover, Delaware on October 4 to claim one of the last Contender spots. The leaders took both the white and checkered flags under caution on Sunday, eliminating Dale Earnhardt Jr. by about half a car length, and causing angry fans to throw beer cans at race winner Joey Logano. But NASCAR president Mike Helton said Sunday evening and again Tuesday that there was no evidence that Harvick, who was undoubtedly struggling with his car in the final laps, purposely triggered the crash as a cheating mechanism.