Anthony Alfredo DQ'd as Casey Mears 'Full Sends' To Make 500 Field
- Dominic Konareski
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
The Daytona 500 duels never disappoint. That is if you're a fan of course. If you're a driver and team needing to race in, then it is 60 laps of pure chaos that either ends up with the hauler being packed up early or living for a fighting chance Sunday.
Duel 1 was a thriller.
Who would have thought that Casey Mears, the slowest car in Daytona 500 qualifying and who seemed to be out of contention after a mid-race collision, would end up advancing. Now Mears' Garage 66 Ford had a great crew behind it, but after colliding with Noah Gragson coming on pit road and getting stuck in the grass all hope looked lost.
Mears would end up a lap down after getting stuck in the grass. Due to a late race caution to send the field into overtime. Mears, who was the only one a lap down, would get the lucky dog and start from the rear.
In what was a mini 'big one' late in the duel, the biggest driver affected was Chandler Smith. Smith suffered splitter damage, but was able to stay on the lead lap and gear up for NASCAR overtime. Overall, Smith had contended up front all race long and constantly exchanged transfer positions with RFK's Corey LaJoie.Mears was still tasked with needing to finish in front of open drivers Smith and Corey LaJoie.
Daytona always gives us final lap chaos. It doesn't matter what the type of race is or the series. Tonight was no different.
A final lap crash from a bad push sent Corey LaJoie along with several other cars spinning. Mears gunned it. He knew that he needed to pass the No. 99 of LaJoie before the caution went on. A Daytona version of the “Hail Melon” saw Mears wall ride before the out-of-control Daniel Suarez came up the track, getting rear-ended by Mears’ Ford Mustang.
There was nothing Mears could have done in that situation, as avoiding Suarez was impossible – but by staying on the gas and clearing Suarez, Casey Mears ensured that he would finish in front of both LaJoie and Smith when the field froze at the moment of caution.
Casey Mears, against all odds, has made the Daytona 500 field. This is Garage 66’s first time making the Daytona 500 since 2020. Most recently the team attempted it with Chandler Smith, in which Smith did not advance. Tonight though it took having to beat Smith in order to make the field – Talk about a full circle moment.
Mears’ No. 66 is beat up though. Damage from his slide through the grass and then collision with Suarez will give the Garage 66 crew plenty of work in order to make the Ford ready for Sunday. The nose of Casey Mears’ car is caved in to a point. With that though it is something that can be worried about Saturday as car owner Carl Long and the Garage 66 team have something to celebrate: They’re in the Daytona 500.
Hell Yea.
Going onto Duel 2.
Compared to Duel 1, the second was kind of a snooze-fest.
Anthony Alfredo, B.J McLeod and J.J Yeley were the open cars. Three drivers for what was all single-car teams, one of the drivers (McLeod) being an owner-driver with his Live Fast Motorsports.
Anthony Alfredo would originally advance in a duel that saw full green flag pitstops, which spread the field out and allowed for in-pack manufacturer shuffling. Alfredo was riding comfortably inside the top-10 and top-5 before pitstops, showcasing his Beard Motorsports Chevrolet speed, “Fast Pasta” even held the lead briefly. Due to green flag longevity, Alfredo would finish p18 out of 22 cars. Nonetheless, it was enough to advance at the moment, as Alfredo edged out McLeod who finished in 19th.
It would later be reported just before midnight Thursday that Alfredo’s Beard Motorsports Chevrolet failed post-race inspection, disqualifying him from his 18th place finishing position.
B.J. McLeod, who missed his previous two Daytona 500 attempts and finished right behind Alfredo’s bumper, will make the Daytona 500 field in a pitch-black unsponsored car.
A truly tough break though for Anthony Alfredo and J.J Yeley with their respective teams Live Fast and NY Racing. Not every underdog team or driver has a big or memorable 500 story.
Alfredo being DQ’d changed NASCAR history. Literally.
For Alfredo, his night went from being a career-high to a nightmare. For Yeley, he still has missed his last five attempts, but with Alfredo being DQ’d Yeley’s last-place 22nd finish is moved to 21st. A last-place finish in tonight’s duel would’ve made Yeley the first driver in Daytona 500 duel history to score three last-place finishes. Yeley previously finished last in 2012 Duel 1 and 2020 Duel 2.
Making the Daytona 500 for Garage 66 and Live Fast Motorsports is huge, and frankly I don’t even think that is the best wording for that. Being an uncharted small team in the NASCAR Cup Series is a struggle in all categories. Funding and just simply being able to make the field for any race is a success in itself. The team's 2026 season has changed completely in a good way as their driver(s) now have a chance to cement their names in 500 history.