NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Alex Labbe was pulled from a Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) practice session Saturday at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course after failing to get prior approval of his participation in the event.
Labbe, a native of St. Albert, Quebec Canada campaigns full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for DGM Racing and is scheduled to participate in the upcoming Xfinity Series at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course later this month.
However, without any practice or qualifying scheduled for the Daytona 182 event, his SCCA participation could be seen as an unfavorable advantage over his Xfinity Series competition.
A NASCAR spokesperson said that the sanctioning body received word Saturday morning that Labbe was participating in an SCCA “test” on the Daytona Road Course. They then sent officials over to the track and had him get off the track to inquire what he was doing.
NASCAR confirmed that Labbe was participating in the “test” with a steel-bodied SCCA approved race car, but he still required prior authorization and approval to participate in the “test”, which he did not have.
NASCAR then informed Labbe that he and his team was done for the day.
The spokesperson said that Labbe, an accomplished road racer himself had run approximately seven laps on the Road Course.
Team owner Mario Gosselin told CATCHFENCE.com, “We believe we followed every protocol. 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.”
Despite an alleged violation of protocol, it is unclear at this time if there will be any further repercussions.
For its first road course race at Daytona, NASCAR has imposed strict rules regarding event participation.
Any licensed competitor is allowed to compete in just one race during the weekend of Aug. 14, 2020 — between the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Xfinity Series, or the main attraction, the Go Bowling 235 for the NASCAR Cup Series on Aug. 16.
Labbe, 27, did not immediately respond for comment. After 17 Xfinity races this season, he is 16th in the championship standings with three top-10 finishes.
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