Justin Allgaier’s path to a victory in Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 Presented by Coca-Cola will be as steep as the banking in the corners at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro found trouble in pre-race inspection on Friday afternoon at Daytona, and as a result, Allgaier will have to start from the rear of the field, and he’ll have to make a pass-through penalty after the opening lap of the race.
As the infraction was discovered and remedied after the first trip through the inspection bay, the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet will be permitted to take a qualifying time on Friday but will drop to the rear of the field prior to the green flag of the race.
Qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Wawa 250 at Daytona will take place on Friday, August 25th at 3:00 PM ET.
Allgaier enters Friday night’s event third in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season championship standings, 34 points behind point leader Austin Hill. There are three races remaining in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season, and the regular-season champion is awarded an additional 15 Playoff Points, which carry over through each round of the Playoffs.
While Algaier’s team had issues with inspection on Thursday afternoon, they weren’t alone. Four other cars were flagged in inspection at Daytona International Speedway.
All three Jordan Anderson Racing cars (No. 22, No. 27, and No. 31), which are driven by Jeb Burton, Jordan Anderson, and Parker Retzlaff, all failed on their first pass through the inspection bay. The 22 and 31 passed on their second attempt. Like Allgaier, they will be permitted to take a qualifying lap, but will start at the rear of the field on Friday night, and will have to serve a pass-through penalty after the opening lap of the race.
Anderson and the No. 27 team failed inspection three times, and as a result, Anderson will not be permitted to take a qualifying lap. He’ll also serve a pass-through penalty after the opening lap on Friday night.
Ryan Sieg will suffer a similar fate, as he’ll also start at the rear of the field on Friday, and will be forced to make a pass-through penalty after the opening lap of the race.
Like the No. 27 car, Sieg’s No. 39 RSS Racing Ford Mustang failed pre-race inspection three times. As a result, he will not be permitted to take a qualifying lap.
Sieg, who will be running his first race of the year with primary sponsorship from SciAps, sits 18th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings heading into this weekend’s action. He has three races remaining to snag his first-career NASCAR Xfinity Series win, if he wants to make it into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs this year.
All five teams will lose their pit selection for next week’s race at Darlington Raceway.
