Anthony Alfredo’s Daytona 500 dream has come to a bitter end. After racing his way into the 2026 season-opener, his No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet failed post-race inspection.
Alfredo finished 18th in Duel #2, besting both BJ McLeod and JJ Yeley to race his way into the 500. He failed to qualify for the race in 2025, and was extremely emotional over the prospect of competing in NASCAR’s biggest race for just the third time in his career.
Instead, he will be going home alongside Corey LaJoie (RFK Racing), Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports), and Yeley (NY Racing Team).
NASCAR found a transaxle cooling hose that wasn’t fastened properly, and another hose meant for driver cooling was completely disconnected, leading to the inspection failure.
Since the Duels are part of qualifying, this is treated differently than a normal race disqualification, and so Alfredo will have no opportunity to appeal.
As long as his own car passes, McLeod in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet will take his place on the grid. As long as all goes well in his own post-race inspection, this will be McLeod’s sixth start in the Daytona 500 and his first since 2023. He failed to qualify for the race in both 2024 and 2025.
More to follow…
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