Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
It was arguably one of Aric Almirola’s best overall weekends as a driver in NASCAR, but the Florida driver could be facing a big penalty after failing post-race inspection at Talladega Superspeedway.
Almirola scored the win during Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 for Biagi-Denbeste Racing, and followed that up on Sunday with a fourth-place finish. He was in contention for the win during most of the race, and scored his third top-10 of the season.
Almirola failed the laser section of post-race inspection, and could face a penalty of upwards of 40 points. His crew chief Drew Blickensderfer would also likely face a suspension.
Earlier in the year, Brad Keselowski failed the lasers in post-race inspection and was hit with a 35-point penalty. Crew chief Paul Wolfe was also suspended for three races. Team Penske is still appealing the penalty.
If Almirola is served the penalty this week, it will take him out of playoff contention for the time being. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver is currently one point behind Trevor Bayne for the final playoff position.
