CARS Tour Disqualifies Riggs, KHI after Caraway

Jared Fryar is now officially the winner of the Firecracker 125.

Following a next-day meeting between CARS Tour ownership and leadership, the series disqualified Layne Riggs and the Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 62 for ‘a part that was over tolerance … in post-race inspection’ on Wednesday night at Caraway Speedway.

Specifically, it was for a sway bar end that was greater than the 1-3/4” permitted by the CARS Tour rule book. A CARS Tour statement said that KHI ‘admitted to an unintentional oversight involving the part’ the series accepted the explanation.

Crew chief Rodney Childers took it a step further with his own statement on social media.

“I know everyone will say it’s cheating and pushing the limits, but hand on my heart, I had no idea you couldn’t run big end sway bars in the CARS Tour,” Childers said. “This was something that has zero competitive advantage and would have never done (it) if I knew.

“Sway bars are like springs. They only have a rate and they twist. Even though the bar had big ends, it was not a high rate bar. The car would have handled exactly the same with smaller ends and a bigger center. I apologize to everyone involved.

“It puts everyone in a bad spot and looks bad. I take full responsibility and will find a rule book and read it more carefully. I feel horrible for Layne. He didn’t deserve this. He did an incredible job. Congrats to Jared. He had a great car also.”

The CARS Tour ownership group now feature Harvick alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Justin Marks. JR Motorsports fields a full-time car in the series alongside the part-time Kevin Harvick Inc. entry leaving those cars under extra scrutiny from the industry.

Riggs was making his first start for Kevin Harvick, Inc. at Caraway, after competing primarily with his family-operated No. 99 throughout the entirety of his career. Riggs won the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Championship in 2022 and is a six-time CARS Tour Late Model Stock winner. He was the tour championship runner-up in 2020.

This is just the second time that a winner has been disqualified from a CARS Tour event. The first was Jeff Oakley in 2017 at Dominion when a post-race engine dyno showed performance enhancing qualities resulting in a season long suspension. Fryar was inherited his first victory that year and just inherited his fourth in a similar manner. Fryar is the 2018 CARS Tour Super Late Model champion and the 2020 CARS Tour Late Model Stock champion.

Short Track Scene has reached out to Fryar for comment and will add those here once he makes himself available.

As a result of the disqualification, the finishing order of Wednesday’s race has been amended to move everyone up one position with the reflecting purse payouts.

CARS Tour Firecracker 125 (UPDATED)
Caraway Speedway
June 29 2023

1. 14 Jared Fryar
2. 24 Mason Diaz
3. 8 Carson Kvapil
4. 10 Kaden Honeycutt
5. 6 Bobby McCarty
6. 03 Brenden Queen
7. 5 Kyle Larson
8. 67 Cameron Bolin
9. 81 Mini Tyrrell
10. 1 Andrew Grady
11. 21 Lanie Buice
12. 22 Landon Huffman
13. 77 Connor Hall
14. 95 Jacob Heafner
15. 15 Ryan Millington
16. 57 Connor Zilisch
17. 2 Brandon Pierce
18. 43 William Sawalich
19. 15C Logan Clark -1
20. 42 Carson Brown -1
21. 97A Jason Kitzmiller – OUT
22. 8B Chase Burrow -15
23. 77W Trevor Ward – OUT
24. 45 Matt Gould – OUT
25. 04 Ronnie Bassett Jr. – OUT
26. 16 Chad McCumbee – OUT
27. 18 Jason York – OUT
28. 5B Bryant Barnhill – OUT
29. 7 Dylan Ward – OUT
30. 19 Jeremy Mayfield – OUT
31. 62 Layne Riggs – DQ

—

https://twitter.com/LayneRiggs99/status/1674557810078539778

I’m sure they’ll look at the rule and change it, but unfortunately it’s a black and white thing for now. There’s no advantage to it and realistically the parts are cheaper then the old sway bars anyhow. Sucks for him but he still won it straight up, just a small technicality

— Brian Keselowski (@KeselowskiBrian) June 29, 2023

No way they could have let it go and it worked out in the series favor.

It’s a black and white infraction unfortunately. Layne was the class of the field and I’m sure they will come back just as good the next time out.

I feel for Layne because he works his ass off.

— Landon Huffman (@LandonHuffman) June 29, 2023

https://twitter.com/CarsonHocevar/status/1674550486857334785

they don’t follow their own rules. it’s just been a topic of conversation that they change their mind and don’t enforce rules and this another tip into that category. regardless if it’s effect on speed, if it’s written, enforce it. Or don’t write it. rules are rules, when do you…

— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) June 29, 2023

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