NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Alex Labbe was taken out of a steel-bodied Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) practice session at Daytona International Speedway road course, according to Catchfence.
Labbe had run about seven laps during the period when NASCAR officials called him off the track. Since he didn’t have prior authorization or approval from NASCAR, he and his team had to discontinue their time at the track. A spokesperson for NASCAR confirmed to Motorsport that officials had to send officials to inquire about what Labbe was up to, then to vacate the circuit.
“We believe we followed every protocol,” Mario Gosselin, DGM Racing owner said to Catchfence. “This was not a test. We were participating in a qualifying session for an event later in the day. When NASCAR asked us to stop, we stopped immediately.”
NASCAR previously stated that drivers may only participate in one race from Aug. 14-16 at the Daytona road course.
It is not yet known whether Labbe or DGM will be penalized.
Labbe has three top 10s so far this year, his most recent coming at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit on July 4.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.