Anthony Alfredo experienced the highest of thrills and the harshest of disappointments in a very short span after the second Daytona Duels qualifying race on Thursday. He finished the race in 18th place and secured his spot in the coveted Daytona 500. Or, so he thought.
It wasn’t long before the news arrived that Alfredo’s car had failed post-race inspection, thereby nullifying his result.
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NASCAR explained that a transaxle cooling hose and a driver cooling hose were not properly attached in Alfredo‘s No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet. The requirement is that they be fastened tightly. But they weren’t. This led to the tough decision of disallowing his position and granting it to BJ McLeod, who’d finished right behind him in 19th place.
Managing Director Brad Moran said, “Usually, they’re riveted and, as well, they’re taped. There are many ways of taping them. Obviously, different qualities of tape and so on. And unfortunately, this one was only taped, and the tape didn’t hold at all.”
Morgan also confirmed that this anomaly wasn’t found during the pre-race inspection. He did not know how the hoses loosened either.
Regardless, Alfredo will not be able to appeal the decision. Moran reasoned that it was because the disqualification came in a qualifying race and not a points-paying main event. According to the rule book, qualifying races are treated the same way as qualifying laps.
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Were the hoses disconnected intentionally?
Usually, when such technical infractions are found, it is because the team or the driver is trying to gain an unfair advantage. But NASCAR has strayed clear of that possibility by maintaining a middle ground. Morgan underlined that he could not comment on the purpose behind the hoses being disconnected.
He said, *“We don’t say the intent. Again, the rule is that it needs to stay connected. We’re not saying it was intentional; it was unintentional. Like I say, there was this one plus another hose that was off the car. It was still connected. We left the car intact. This piece [the transaxle cooling hose] was totally separated.”*
The decision has been taken, and there is no reversing it. The pain Alfredo must be going through is impossible to imagine. The happiness of making it into the Daytona 500 was evident in his face and voice immediately after the race. He choked up with emotion while trying to get his words out and spoke about how much it meant to him after missing last year’s race.
It is a great tragedy that such an opportunity has been snatched from his hands. Hopefully, Alfredo will have better luck next time around.
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