Timmy Hill thought he had made the Xfinity race at Daytona until NASCAR ripped his heart out.
Hill and MBM Motorsports lost his spot in the Xfinity race when two teams failed inspection when NASCAR examined the qualifying heights. Yes, you read that right.
Here's what happened, based on an account from Bob Pockrass of ESPN.
Two drivers -- Matt Tifft and Josh Williams -- failed post Xfinity qualifying. When that happened, they had their times disallowed, and this started a domino effect that ended up smashing Hill. David Starr and Gray Gaulding made the field on time, and Tifft and Williams made the field on owners points.
But Hill, who thought he made the field, didn't have the time or the owners points, and now, he's out of the race.
Tifft and Williams cars failed post-Xfinity-qualifying heights. They both make the race on provisionals. Gaulding now in on speed; Hill doesn't make it (he was the last provisional).
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 17, 2018
Here's what happens. When the two drivers have times disallowed, they end up getting no time. That put Starr and Gaulding in on speed. Then when filling spots on owner points, both Williams and Tifft had owner points for provisionals and Hill didn't have enuf owner pts. https://t.co/z2gZ1zTMFu
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 17, 2018
Hill thought he was in ...
We are in!!!!!!! Daytona qualifying is so stressful! I am so happy for our @MBMMotorsports guys! Ready to have a bunch of fun this afternoon! https://t.co/064LVrTgNf
— Timmy Hill (@TimmyHillRacer) February 17, 2018
But then, he had his heart broken.
Looks like we won't be racing today after all. Doesn't feel good & certainly doesn't sit right. Just another tough day for a small team in this sport. This is supposed to be a full time team this year so hopefully we can rebound from this financial loss. See everyone in Atlanta.
Looks like we won?t be racing today after all. Doesn?t feel good & certainly doesn?t sit right. Just another tough day for a small team in this sport. This is supposed to be a full time team this year so hopefully we can rebound from this financial loss. See everyone in Atlanta.
— Timmy Hill (@TimmyHillRacer) February 17, 2018
His team also noted how he was pushed out.
Timmy Hill will not start in today's race due to the No. 90 qualifying time being disallowed. This resulted in provisions moving around and Timmy was bumped out.
— MBM Motorsports (@MBMMotorsports) February 17, 2018
OK, so rules are rules. Hill didn't have the speed to qualify. But he's right. Something stinks when you penalize a small, underfunded team that's trying to make its way in the sport in favor of larger teams that failed an inspection. Would it have been so bad if NASCAR would have allowed a 41st car?