NASCAR dominated the sports news section again when Noah Gragson’s qualifying time for the Daytona 500 was wiped out because he stuck his hand out the window to change the air flow. This was something that was simple but now unlawful. Gragson’s 49.504-second lap, which was thrown out under Rule 8.3.2, was already a wake-up call for the garage. However, we were hardly done with it when news of another penalty broke out. And this time, the punishment was considerably worse. Rick Hendrick’s Star driver wasn’t just losing a lap; he was being thrown out of the Daytona 500 completely. And why? He didn’t change the flow of air like Gragson, but instead, had illegal equipment in his car, which the race director himself later pulled over.

Anthony Alfredo disqualified for Daytona 500…

Late Thursday, February 12, NASCAR delivered one of the harshest blows a small team (Beard Motorsports) can face: Anthony Alfredo was officially disqualified from the Daytona 500, just hours after racing his way into the field with an 18th-place finish in Duel 2. The celebration didn’t even last through the night.

Cup Series Director Brad Moran broke down the situation clearly, acknowledging the emotional weight of penalizing a smaller independent team: “Unfortunate to be here that any small open team, we don’t like to have these problems, but we do have to do our job, make sure there’s parity amongst the field and also parity amongst people trying to make the 500.”

So, what exactly happened? Well, as always, NASCAR’s post-race inspection process kicked in immediately after the Duels. Every car goes through it. Nig teams, small teams, locked-in drivers, and those fighting for their Daytona 500 lives. And that’s where the trouble began. Officials discovered that the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet had two violations:

• A disconnected transaxle cooling hose
• A disconnected driver cooling hose

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The transaxle cooling hose, which routes from the right-side quarter window to the cooler, is required to be airtight and completely secured. Anything loose can alter airflow, especially at superspeedways like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, where aero tricks (even unintentional ones) can mean the difference between making the show or loading up early.

Moran, further, doubled down on NASCAR’s stance regarding loose parts, explaining: “We have many rules, as you all know, that no parts can fall off the car for obvious reasons. We don’t say what the intent is, but these parts have to be fastened properly.”

Alfredo is still upset with the decision and is looking for answers from NASCAR. “I still am going to talk to NASCAR about it because I want to actually like have a better understanding of what the rule is and what it says, because unfortunately, just had an air duct that came loose on the car from racing, probably from getting slammed in the draft. Obviously, no malpractice cause if it was anything advantageous, we would have done it yesterday and qualified into the race,” he told Frontstretch.

For Alfredo, currently a simulator testing driver for Hendrick Motorsports, the penalty is brutal. Beard Motorsports only shows up for select superspeedways, making Daytona their biggest opportunity of the year. Instead of racing Sunday, the team heads home, bumped out by another underdog hungry for their own shot at the Great American Race.

…and so, B.J. McLeod capitalizes on the chaos

Not only did Anthony Alfredo’s disqualification change the rules, but it also altered the Daytona 500 lineup completely. And it was B.J. McLeod who felt its impact the most. The veteran driver and team owner thought they had just missed out on a terrible close call, but then got a golden ticket to the Great American Race on Sunday.

Originally, Duel 2 ended with Alfredo in 18th, McLeod in 19th, and J.J. Yeley in 22nd. Alfredo narrowly snagged the final transfer spot by just one position. But once NASCAR stripped the No. 62’s result, the entire finishing order shifted. Alfredo dropped to last in the 22-car field, and McLeod was officially credited with 18th place, elevating him into the final open transfer position.

For a non-chartered team, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Both Alfredo and McLeod entered Speedweeks knowing the reality: no guaranteed spot. You either make it in on speed during Wednesday qualifying or you fight for your life in the Duels. McLeod did the latter. And thanks to a flawless inspection, he came out with a Daytona 500 start.

The emotional weight of that hard-earned victory wasn’t lost on McLeod. “It’s getting a chance to race again in front of the fans in the Daytona 500 that is the only thing I think about, that and the hard work that all of our guys put in, and the stress that Jessica goes through and everything that we all do together,” he told Bob Pockrass.

Piloting the No. 78 Chevrolet for his own team, Live Fast Motorsports, McLeod now gets to join the other 40 drivers in Sunday’s showdown. After a week of drama, inspection surprises, and shifting fortunes, his underdog story continues at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15.

As you know, at the Great American Race, anything can happen, and often does.