Austin Hill and Shane Van Gisbergen Amongst the Few to Be at a Disadvantage Before Their Xfinity Start at Talladega

If the gloomy weather over Talladega Superspeedway wasn’t enough of a concern for the Xfinity Series ahead of the race, several drivers have been given reasons to worry about next weekend at Dover. We’re only a few hours away before the Ag-Pro 300 kicks off, but there have already been a few victims of technical inspection. That said, Austin Hill and his #21 Chevrolet pit crew weren’t the only ones caught lacking by the officials during the inspection.

Shane van Gisbergen & Co. just can’t escape the officials it seems!

In a tweet from Bob Pockrass, fans looking forward to the Xfinity Series race were met with surprising news about several failures in inspection. The tweet read, “In Xfinity tech …AHill Allmendinger VanGisbergen Bacarella TayGray and Bilicki cars failed twice (loss of pit selection for Dover and crew member ejection).” That’s right, more than five drivers failed technical inspection at Talladega twice, owing to which their respective garages will lose pit selection privileges along with crew members’ ejection for the next race.

Though it isn’t unusual for NASCAR to hand out such penalties for infringements of such nature, it’s safe to say the penalties will sting some drivers more than others. After losing out on a podium at COTA owing to a penalty, Shane van Gisbergen found the short end of the stick in his hands once again at Talladega. Despite putting on a solid show in the #97 Kaulig Racing Chevy to bring home 18th place in qualifying, SVG will need to shift his focus to next week earlier than others, owing to the penalties he’ll be serving at Dover.

But he isn’t the only one. Austin Hill, who is having a stellar season for Richard Childress Racing in the #21 Chevy, finds himself in an equally disadvantageous position for the next race. Naturally, this could add some unwanted pressure on the 29-year-old to secure a win in this race and minimize the damage. Still, the duo doesn’t have it as bad as Josh Bilicki and C. Bacarella, who have been trying desperately to move out of their thirties positions.

Since the infringements will be met with repercussions only at Dover, Hill’s pole position shouldn’t be hampered and SVG should have an equally eventful race if things go to plan. However, one driver’s fortune turned because of these penalties.

Penalties work in favor of Mason Massey as Garrett Smithley faces heartbreak

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At the same time that Austin Hill was securing pole position for RCR, Mason Massey was aiming to win the hearts of the Fan Controlled Sports community by making the transfer to the Ag-Pro 300 with the #14 SS GreenLight Racing Chevy. Unfortunately for the Fan Controlled team, they were likely to fail to make the race based on their qualifying result.

But in classic NASCAR fashion, the tides turned just when we least expected, and Massey’s fortunes turned around after Garrett Smithley’s time was deleted owing to an unsecured roof hatch. Tweeting the twist of fate, Bob Pockrass shared, “Garrett Smithley time disallowed in Xfinity qualifying (tech issue). He will be the DNQ b/c lowest in owner points of those not in top-33 in qualifying. Mason Massey is now in.”

In what can only be described as a miraculous coincidence, Garrett Smithley’s lack of a lap time and being outside of the 33rd position meant that Massey would move up to a grid spot based on owner points. And just like that, fans are back on track to help out the #14 SS GreenLight Chevy with strategic calls during the race.

Now that Massey has nothing to lose, it’ll be interesting to see how the new Fan Controlled choice compares to J.J. Yeley’s inaugural performance last year.