Anthony Alfredo initially appeared to secure a spot in the 2026 Daytona 500 by finishing ahead of other open entries during the Duel qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway, but his result was disallowed after a post-race inspection found a rules violation on his Beard Motorsports car, according to NASCAR.
For a short time, the result stood. Then, officials disqualified Alfredo from the field just hours later. The setback forced him to reset his focus during Speedweeks.
He turned to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series opener at Daytona, looking for a fresh start. That race brought more challenges, including a qualifying setback, a last-minute ride change, and early-race damage, before he recovered for an 11th-place finish.
Daytona 500 spot lost after Duel disqualification
Anthony Alfredo failed to lock into the Daytona 500 on qualifying speed and had to race his way in through the Duel. He finished ahead of B.J. McLeod and J.J. Yeley and crossed the line in position to make the field.
For about two hours, Alfredo believed he had secured the start. Later that night, while recording social media videos in his hauler, he learned that the No. 62 Chevrolet had failed inspection and that he had been disqualified. The penalty removed him from the Daytona 500 lineup.
Anthony Alfredo’s qualifying trouble leads to a last-minute ride
Alfredo next focused on the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. Driving the No. 96 Chevrolet, he failed to qualify after the car developed a mechanical issue.
“I got refocused this morning, and then it was just another kick in the groin thereafter, qualifying. We had a mechanical issue with our car.”
Soon after, his sponsor, Dude Wipes, arranged for him to drive the No. 4 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet. The team of Caesar Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins allowed Alfredo to take over the entry and place his partners in the car.
“All of a sudden, they come in the hauler and say Caesar and Tommy are going to let me drive their car, and even more importantly, get our partners on it. It means a lot that they allowed me to do that. That’s what racing’s all about. It’s a community, it’s a family.”
The deal ensured Anthony Alfredo would still compete during Speedweeks despite missing the Daytona 500 and failing to qualify earlier in the day.
Early crash at start, recovery to 11th place
When the race started, trouble came immediately. Anthony Alfredo had only one car behind him and left a gap to avoid contact, but a crash broke out ahead. Another car hit him from behind before he could react.
“I only had one car behind me at the start of the race, and I laid off 10 car lengths. I was just creeping. I don’t think I had upshifted yet, and I got plowed from behind and got a little bit of damage.”
“It didn’t even surprise me, to be honest, I was more like, ‘Yeah, I figured something like that was going to happen to me at this point.”
The team repaired the car, and Alfredo spent much of the night running near the back while attrition thinned the field. As other drivers dropped out, he moved forward and reached 11th place by the final restart, where he finished.
After the race, Alfredo described the emotional stretch of Speedweeks.
“Hell’s a pretty awful place, so I’m not going to go that far, but it felt close to it,” he told Frontstretch. “I know there are way crazier things that happen in life that are way more important than racing, but I’m not going to lie, in the moment, I was at a pretty low place.”
Anthony Alfredo’s Daytona Nightmare: Disqualified from 500 to NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Recovery