It was obviously a frustrating day for Alex Labbe Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 36 DGM Racing Chevrolet Camaro was unable to take a time in qualifying due to his car being stuck in the garage with inspection issues.
The driver told TobyChristie.com that the issues with the car were related to the OSS bay.
Labbe’s team kept making changes to the car in an effort to get their car to pass, but it did not get to the grid in time. As a result, Labbe will not make the field for Saturday’s Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300.
However, while that is a disappointment for the Canadian racer, Labbe will move to RSS Racing for some upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
“Yeah, we’re running the No. 28 for RSS,” Labbe confirmed to TobyChristie.com. “We’ll replace Joe Graf Jr. in the No. 28. It should be fun. It’s the first time for me driving for another organization than DGM Racing. Can’t wait to see how it’s going to make out.”
According to Labbe, he will run next week’s race at Auto Club Speedway and the following event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the organization. And if all goes well, Labbe hopes to slide into the No. 28 RSS entry for a few more starts later in the season.
“California and Vegas, that’s what we’re planning on because Joe has what, five starts with Joe Gibbs? He has 28 with RSS. So, I’ll see later on — I guess we’ll see how it goes out West. I’d love to drive for them later on. We’ll see how it goes,” Labbe said.
Here is a video of Labbe’s interview with TobyChristie.com:
While it’s exciting to land a new opportunity, is it a little odd for Labbe, who has never run a NASCAR race for any team other than DGM?
“Yeah, for sure,” Labbe chuckled. “I’ve been running with DGM for 138-139 starts, something like that. My entire career in NASCAR. So, it’s definitely going to be a different feeling. But RSS is a really good organization. They have good people, good equipment so I can’t wait to see how we can make out in Fontana next week.”
Aside from the DNQ at Daytona for DGM and the spot-duty he has lined up for RSS, Labbe says he doesn’t have anything else lined up for 2023 and that he is fielding phone calls for anyone who needs a driver.
“We’re wide open right now. We’re still working on it right now,” Labbe said. “We’re in a little bit of a bad spot, but I guess we’re definitely going to go part-time this year. I might even go run some Trucks here and there and see if there are good opportunities. We’ll see.”
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