Mike Harmon Racing (MHR) will fail to qualify for their fifth NASCAR Xfinity Series event of the season, after failing pre-qualifying inspection three times Friday at Nashville Superspeedway.
The organization, which fields the No. 74 Chevrolet Camaro on a part-time basis, was scheduled to have Jade Buford behind the wheel of the entry in Saturday’s 250-mile contest, his second attempt in the entry this season.
With inspection issues on Friday, NASCAR has determined that Buford will not be eligible to post a qualifying time on Saturday. Buford and Mike Harmon Racing would be eligible to run in Saturday’s 20-minute practice, but with no chance of making the field, it’s unclear whether or not they’ll do so.
Carl Brown, a crew member for the No. 74, has been ejected from the racetrack for the remainder of the weekend, while the organization itself will lose its pit stall selection for the next event the team enters.
This season, Mike Harmon Racing has attempted to enter its No. 74 Chevrolet in five Xfinity Series events, but unfortunately has failed to qualify for all five attempts, with drivers Stanton Barrett (Daytona), Ryan Vargas (Martinsville), and Jade Buford (Charlotte, Loudon, and now Nashville).
Several weeks ago, Buford was announced as the ‘full-time’ driver for Mike Harmon Racing, and since Charlotte, has been the driver when the team elected to enter a vehicle.