Getty Anthony Alfredo lost a tire at Martinsville Speedway.
Two members of the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports team will have to serve a two-race suspension after the trip to Martinsville Speedway. The reason is a lost wheel during the NASCAR Cup Series race on April 16.
The incident occurred during the final stage. Anthony Alfredo went up by the wall with an apparent issue on the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro. The FOX Sports cameras then showed a tire sitting next to the wall. This eventually brought out the caution while Alfredo limped his way back to his pit stall.
As part of the new rules for the 2023 season, this lost wheel means automatic suspensions for two crew members that NASCAR will name in its weekly penalty report. They will miss the next two points-paying events, which will take place at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway. Though the crew chief will not have to serve a penalty like others did in 2022.
Alfredo Lost Crucial Track Position at Martinsville Speedway
GettyBJ McLeod drives at Phoenix Raceway.
The two-race suspension is not the only penalty for the lost tire out on the track. Alfredo and the No. 78 team also had to serve an in-race suspension that resulted in him losing multiple spots.
One change for the 2023 season is that the teams that lose tires on the track will have to serve a two-lap penalty. This was the case for Alfredo as he stayed in his pit box after getting a new tire on the right side of the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro.
This penalty, combined with multiple other factors, led to Alfredo falling 10 laps behind the leaders during the final stage. This dropped him to 36th in the running order, but he moved up to 35th after JJ Yeley blew a tire and crashed out of the race.
Alfredo made his return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023 with a part-time schedule. He first joined Live Fast Motorsports at Richmond Raceway while making his first Cup start since the 2021 season, and he finished 33rd overall. Alfredo then returned for the race at Martinsville Speedway where he lost a tire.
Alfredo’s Live Fast Schedule Should Be Complete
GettyAnthony Alfredo is 18th in the Xfinity Series standings.
The trip to Martinsville Speedway marked Alfredo’s second Cup Series start of the 2023 season. It should complete his part-time schedule with Live Fast Motorsports based on a previous announcement.
On March 9, Live Fast Motorsports announced that Alfredo would take over the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro for two events in 2023. The team only listed Richmond Raceway in the original announcement, but it added Martinsville Speedway after the trip to Bristol Motor Speedway.
Alfredo will now focus solely on the NASCAR Xfinity Series after making his two Cup Series starts. He is currently 18th in the standings after eight races with BJ McLeod Motorsports, and he will have to make up six spots to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Achieving this feat will not be a simple task for the No. 78 team, but there are some favorable tracks on the schedule. Talladega Superspeedway is next, and it is a track where Alfredo has two previous top-10 finishes with two different teams. The most recent was sixth in 2022 with Our Motorsports.