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.
https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/964913045062512640
https://twitter.com/bobpockrass/status/964915483949649920
Hill thought he was in ...
https://twitter.com/TimmyHillRacer/status/964887806026928129
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.
https://twitter.com/TimmyHillRacer/status/964927061985984513
His team also noted how he was pushed out.
https://twitter.com/MBMMotorsports/status/964923676092239872
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?
