DAYTONA BEACH | For the first time since his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2016, Alex Labbé will drive for a different team than the one that got him his 138 starts.
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Minutes after missing Saturday morning’s qualifying, which prevented him from taking part in the 2023 season opener at Daytona, the Bois Francs driver finally had good news to share.
“I will be racing for a team other than DGM for the next two races of the Xfinity Series, the RSS Racing team that recently approached me to replace one of their three drivers,” he confirmed in an interview with the Journal de Montreal.
It is Joe Graf’s wheel that Labbé will be entrusted with driving at the Fontana circuit in California next Saturday and in Las Vegas the following week. The American was signed by Joe Gibbs’ acclaimed team for five events during the year and RSS Racing contacted Labbé to fill the spot.
An invitation he obviously couldn’t refuse from this organization, which also runs brothers Ryan and Kyle Sieg. He will drive the number 28 car.
A turnkey steering wheel
Labbé has always hoped that one day his talent would be recognized in the Xfinity series without having to find financial support. However, this is the first time since his arrival in the NASCAR Cup antechamber that he will not have to fund his participation. This is called a turnkey steering wheel.
“It’s nice to see that my efforts are finally being rewarded,” he said. And it comes at a time when the Daytona race was the only secured race on my 2023 calendar. I hope to prove that RSS made the right choice. If all goes well, I’ll likely replace Graf in three more events later in the season. »
This team has managed to collect good results over the years. In 2022, Ryan, the eldest of the two Sieg brothers, finished fourth twice at Talladega and finished in the top ten 11 more times.
“I’m looking forward to a new experience in the Xfinity series. And it will be strange not to have Mario Gosselin by my side for the first time,” Labbé said.
The latter did not rule out returning to service for DGM, this team led by Gosselin, who hails from Beauceron. If his search for sponsors is successful…
Bad luck again in Daytona
Labbé was limited to a spectator role Saturday afternoon at Daytona after failing to secure a spot on the starting grid for the second straight year.
But unlike in 2022, the 29-year-old did not fail on the track. Instead, he was unable to complete his qualifying lap because he was held up too long in the scrutineering area.
“We tried bold adjustments to the differential on Friday night to improve the car’s behavior and we knew we were on the verge of legality. The officials advised us to make corrections, which we tried in vain. We ran out of time to respect our position for qualifying,” he said.
Labbé was supposed to start from position 12 for his solo lap, but it was too late to show up. He was eventually told to close the books. Five other pilots suffered the same fate.
“It’s very frustrating going through a situation like this,” Labbé said. Especially since I’m convinced that I would have driven faster than many a driver who was able to secure his place on the grid. »
Photo Louis Metzger
Alex Labbé said he was sad for his Quebec partners for missing out on his qualification for Saturday afternoon’s Daytona race.
Too bad for his partners
For the duration of the first leg of qualifying, Labbé remained strapped to his seat in his garage, hoping that NASCAR would allow him to take to the track despite his delay. It has been banned. Deadline.
Unlike most of the drivers on the grid, Labbé was not a guaranteed start as the DGM team preferred to transfer his points from last year to American Josh Williams, who drives for the team full-time.
money drives. The eternal debate in racing.
“I am personally disappointed, but also sad for my partners [toutes des entreprises québécoises] which allowed me to try my luck at Daytona this year. We deserve a better fate,” concluded Labbé.
The 38-rider grid will nonetheless include a Canadian representative at Daytona, as Kahnawake, Quebec resident Dexter Stacey qualified 34th.