The 1-2-3 finish for the Kaulig Racing in Friday nights NASCAR Xfinity race at Daytona looked good on TV at least. Unfortunately for the team hours after the finish the official results moved the third-place car of AJ Allmendinger to the bottom of the results.
The No. 10 car of Allmendinger was disqualified by NASCAR after failing post-race tech. According to Xfinity Series director Wayne Auton, the engine on the car was found to have a discrepancy after a vacuum check.
“Whenever you go, especially to restrictor-plate style races, the teams are very much aware that everything’s got to be sealed up tight,” Auton told NASCAR.com. “It could compromise the ability of the restrictor plate to do its job.”
Allmendinger was relegated to last place in the 38-car field; Ross Chastain and runner-up Justin Haley both passed post-inspection and Christopher Bell was moved up to third.
Auton said that officials normally check the first- and second-place cars in post-race inspection, then a third car at random. The first two passed the vacuum test and all other areas of the inspection.
Allmendinger who now spends his time as a TV analyst was making his first national series start since last November.
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.