Nick Sanchez says he 'kind of got screwed' by NASCAR officiating at Talladega

There might not be a driver who was more unhappy leaving the Talladega Superspeedway on Friday than Nick Sanchez.

The 23-year-old finished 22nd in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff race, but after spinning from the lead twice and encountering dubious circumstances late in the race, the second-year driver was none too happy.

"Definitely a frustrating day," Sanchez told Fox Sports. "Taking the lead twice and wrecking from the lead twice... the truck is still rolling and probably could've won if given the opportunity again. Pretty frustrated. Kind of got screwed there having whatever NASCAR officials had going on, having to come down pit road after they (the field) took the green flag, just for them to okay my spoiler and send me on my way."

"That definitely took me out of contention at the end of the race. Really not happy with the way it ended."

Sanchez will enter the second race of the Round of 8 — which will take place at his home track of Homestead-Miami Speedway — 20 points below the cut line to make it to the Championship Four. After making the Round of 8 in 2023, Sanchez is looking to make his first Championship Four appearance in a season that's seen him win twice.

Sanchez's incendiary comments may earn him a fine from NASCAR - whether it's under the table or made public — as the sanctioning body tends to not take very kindly to drivers calling out its officiating.

Sanchez's remarks come just two days after NASCAR was sued by the teams of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports for "anti-competitive and monopolistic practices."