NASCAR has hit Chase Briscoe’s No. 19 team with a severe penalty after officials discovered illegal modifications to the car’s spoiler at the R&D center.
As a result, NASCAR has issued the following penalties:
Deduction of 100 points.
Deduction of 10 playoff points.
Crew chief James Small suspended for four races.
A $100,000 fine for the team.
This massive penalty significantly impacts Briscoe’s early-season championship hopes. With the penalty applied, Briscoe now sits at -67 points, putting him in a deep hole that could make it difficult to secure a playoff spot later in the year. James Small’s four-race suspension presents a significant challenge for the team, especially with NASCAR’s upcoming schedule featuring a variety of track types where his leadership would be valuable.
Joe Gibbs Racing will appeal the penalty, issuing the following statement:
“The issue in question was caused in the assembly process when bolts used to attach the spoiler base to the deck lid caused the pre-drilled holes to wear due to supplied part interferences.”
NASCAR has taken a strict stance on rule enforcement in recent years, particularly when it comes to illegal aerodynamic modifications.
Briscoe won the pole for the Daytona 500 and finished 4th in the race on Sunday. The severity of this penalty suggests that NASCAR officials deemed the infraction to be deliberate.
With the season just beginning, Briscoe and his team now face an uphill battle to recover from this setback. With 25 races left in the regular season, Briscoe still has a path to the playoffs—but the margin for error is razor-thin.
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