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NASCAR Issues Major Penalty to Chase Briscoe After Daytona 500

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Seth Eggert | Last updated Feb 19, 2025 7:14 PM ET

The Daytona 500 polesitter will leave the season opener negative in championship points.

On Wednesday, NASCAR announced that Chase Briscoe would face a 100-point deduction, loss of 10 playoff points and a $100,000 fine for a modification to the spoiler at Daytona Int'l Speedway.

As first reported by Athlon Sports, Joe Gibbs Racing officially announced their submission to appeal the penalties issued to their newest driver in the garage.

Briscoe, 30, moved from Stewart-Haas Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing in the offseason. He crashed out of the exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium but turned every eye toward his team when they captured the pole for the 2025 Daytona 500. He went on to finish fourth after leading four laps in "The Great American Race." Before the penalty, he was tied for 10th in the championship standings with Chase Elliott.

He now unofficially drops to 39th in driver points with negative 67 points. Briscoe is now 88-points below the NASCAR Playoffs cutline. It is just the sixth time in recent history that a driver and team has had negative points earned.

NASCAR has had a history of dropping big hammers on superspeedway penalties for aerodynamical modifications. In 2007, several teams faced a variety of penalties for infractions affecting rear drag. Wood Brothers Racing was issued four penalties for an unapproved spoiler adjustment during the 2005 Daytona Duels. Talladega in 2004 held some of the most severe penalties across the garage with 12 violations from the fall event.

.@NASCAR PENALTY: @chasebriscoe's No. 19 had a modified spoiler at @Daytona.

- 100 points
- 10 playoff points
- crew chief James Small suspended 4 races
- $100k fine

It's biggest points penalty (pending appeal) since SHR's counterfeit part at @CLTMotorSpdwy in 2023.#NASCAR
— Seth Eggert (@SethEggert91) February 19, 2025

One of the earliest documented spoiler-related penalties at a superspeedway was Ricky Rudd’s No. 10 Tide Ford in the spring Talladega race in 1995. Rudd, a driver-owner in that season, was appointed a $50,000 fine for having a clutch-operated hydraulic device designed to lower the rear end and spoiler, avoiding aerodynamical drag across the top of the car. At the time, the fine was the largest in NASCAR history. Though he submitted his appeal the following Tuesday, he was unsuccessful and was forced to pay the fine.

James Small, crew chief for the No. 19 Toyota Camry, will unofficially serve a four-race suspension. If the team’s appeal is successful, his suspension could be reduced or lifted.

NASCAR will review the appeal and announce a hearing at a later date.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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