Noah Gragson Loses Out on $100,000 Bonus as NASCAR Disqualifies Him After Xfinity Race at Darlington

After finishing in fourth place in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington, the day quickly went from good to bad for Noah Gragson. Despite missing out on a win and a top-3 finish, Gragson was the highest-placed driver among the Dash 4 Cash Xfinity contenders.

He won the $100,000 prize for winning the Dash 4 Cash. However, minutes after the race, NASCAR levied a penalty on Gragson and his no. 9 team, and they were disqualified for failing post-race inspection.

As a result, Gragson lost the $100,000 bonus and received points equivalent to a 40th-place finish instead of 4th place. This was Gragson’s second victory in the Dash 4 Cash this season, but Saturday’s prize went to Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, who finished highest among the 4 contenders, after Gragson.

NEWS: The No. 9 car has been disqualified following post-race inspection at @TooToughToTame.

The No. 16 car of @AJDinger has passed post-race inspection and is the winner of the #Dash4Cash bonus. pic.twitter.com/n2wqhmfe3E

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) May 8, 2021

The JR Motorsports driver will also not be eligible for the big bonus next weekend at Dover. Allmendinger, Josh Berry, Saturday’s race winner Justin Allgaier, and Brandon Jones will race for the $100,000 prize in that race.

Why did NASCAR penalize Noah Gragson and disqualify him?

NASCAR found issues with Gragson’s no. 9 car after the race and certain factors violated the NASCAR Xfinity Series rule book’s Rule 20.14.c.

“All suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension and/or drivetrain component beyond normal rotation or suspension and/or drivetrain travel,” the rule book states.

In response to the penalty, JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. retweeted one of his own tweets from 2018 when Allgaier was penalized.

“I want our teams to always be aggressive with the rule book and I always want @Nascar to be extremely strict in enforcing it. Sometimes those lines are gonna cross. Shake it off and get ready for the next one,” said the tweet from Dale Jr.

JR Motorsports continues strong run in NASCAR Xfinity Series

Meanwhile, Allgaier won the race on Saturday evening after an overtime restart to earn his second victory this season. Josh Berry, another rising star at JR Motorsports finished in second place behind Allgaier. Brandon Jones, Daniel Hemric, and Jeremy Clements completed the top-5 spots.

Before the race, JRM owner Dale Jr. himself gave fans a moment to remember as he drove the pace lap in his father Dale Sr‘s Chevrolet Nova.

Gragson’s original 4th place finish meant that JR Motorsports had 3 drivers inside the top-4 on the day. This continues a strong season so far for Dale Jr’s Xfinity Series team.

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