NASCAR Cup Series driver Anthony Alfredo. Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Anthony Alfredo dealt another Daytona heartbreak

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 14, 2026 11:29 AM ET

NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo is having about the worst week a driver can have at Daytona International Speedway.

Alfredo failed to make Sunday's Daytona 500 after his No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet was disqualified in post-race tech inspection after Thursday's duel races.

But he still had an opportunity to race at Daytona this weekend with his full-time team in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, Viking Motorsports.

Unfortunately for Alfredo, Daytona dealt him another heartbreak in the span of less than two days.

#NASCAR... Anthony Alfredo (#96) has been bumped from the #UnitedRentals300.

Tough break for Alfredo, who got disqualified from his America 250 Florida Duel on Thursday after initially making the #DAYTONA500. https://t.co/UuQKXZ0qyG
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) February 14, 2026

Anthony Alfredo fails to qualify at Daytona

Alfredo failed to qualify for Saturday's United Rentals 300 at Daytona, joining Joey Gase, David Starr and Garrett Smithley as those who failed to qualify for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener.

Not only will Alfredo not get to race on Saturday, his but No. 96 team will be in a major points hole when the circuit rolls into EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Ga., next week.

Alfredo posted the 41st-fastest time of the 42 cars that qualified, putting down a lap of 50.237 seconds around the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

The 26-year-old driver from Ridgefield, Conn., is beginning his fifth consecutive full-time season of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series competition. He'll have to wait until Feb. 21 to make his 152nd career start.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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