For the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway in 21 years, Connor Zilisch of JR Motorsports started in pole position. However, despite his remarkable qualifying lap time of 22.630 seconds (149.536 miles per hour), the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet will not start from P1. Zilisch is scheduled to finish last in Saturday afternoon’s 250-lap North Carolina Education Lottery 250 on the four-turn, 0.94-mile (1.513-kilometer) Rockingham, North Carolina oval due to a post-qualifying tire change. Prior to the race on Saturday, three further drivers have also received penalties. In the 38-car field, J.J. Yeley qualified the No. 53 Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen Chevrolet in 31st place; however, Yeley was replaced by Katherine Legge, who will now drop to the rear as well.
NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup changed at Rockingham
Anthony Alfredo of Young’s Motorsports, who was scheduled to start 34th in the No. 42 Chevrolet, and Greg Van Alst of Joey Gase Motorsports, who was originally scheduled to start last in the No. 35 Chevrolet, were also given penalties. Van Alst’s No. 35 car had its engine replaced, and Alfredo’s No. 42 entry had unapproved modifications done to it. Drivers just drop to the tail end of their initial lane due to the way NASCAR’s “to the rear” penalties operate. Zilisch will start in 35th place, ahead of Legge in 37th, but he will drop to the rear of the inside lane because that is also where the No. 53 qualified. Van Alst remains scheduled to start on the front row in Zilisch’s place in the No. 48 Chevrolet, alongside second place qualifier Parker Retzlaff of Alpha Prime Racing in the No. 4 Chevrolet.
