NASCAR levies big penalty on Chase Briscoe, suspends crew chief

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

NASCAR levies major penalty against Chase Briscoe, suspends crew chief for four races

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 19, 2025 5:54 PM ET

What was a dream week for Chase Briscoe and the No. 19 team has quickly turned into a nightmare.

In his first official race weekend at Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe won the pole for the Daytona 500 and finished fourth in the season-opening race.

On Wednesday, it was reported that NASCAR gave the team a penalty for illegally modifying the spoiler on Briscoe's No. 19 Toyota. The penalty entails a loss of 100 driver points, 10 playoff points, a fine of $100,000 and a four-race suspension for crew chief James Small. According to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, the illegal modification was made to the spoiler base.

Big penalty to Chase Briscoe for modification to the spoiler: Docked 100 points, 10 playoff points and crew chief James Small suspended for four races. Team also has been fined $100,000.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 19, 2025

With the penalty, Briscoe will sit last in the Cup Series standings going into the second race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and he will officially have -67 points. It will take Briscoe at least two races to get back to the positive side of the points ledger.

The loss of 10 playoff points — the equivalent of two race wins or 10 stage wins — means Briscoe also has work to do in order to get back onto the positive side of the playoff point ledger, which could come into play if Briscoe qualifies for the Cup Series playoffs.

The suspension of crew chief James Small may be the most critical factor of the penalty, as Briscoe is still trying to build chemistry with a new crew chief in 2025.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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