Two teams dealt penalties ahead of Daytona Cup Series race

Rudy Fugle. Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Two NASCAR teams dealt serious penalties ahead of Daytona Cup Series race

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 10:40 PM ET

A pair of NASCAR Cup Series teams will be at a major disadvantage when the green flag flies for Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

An unapproved adjustment made by the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team led to William Byron's crew chief, Rudy Fugle, being ejected from the speedway. The No. 24 Chevrolet initially passed inspection before the adjustment was made.

Byron will also have to drop to the rear of the field before the start of the race, and will also have to serve a stop-and-go penalty on pit road after taking the green flag. Byron's team also lost pit stall on selection for Saturday's race.

William Byron crew chief Rudy Fugle ejected from Daytona for team making an adjustment to splitter after passing tech. Byron to start at rear of field and must do stop and go after taking green. Team also lost pit selection.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 22, 2025

The No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports team also incurred a penalty after inspection on Friday. B.J. McLeod's Chevrolet failed inspection twice, with car chief Lee Leslie also being ejected from the speedway. McLeod also lost pit stall selection, though he will not have to serve a stop-and-go penalty like Byron.

Byron, the two-time defending Daytona 500 champion, will have a much tougher road to his fourth Daytona victory. He's looking for his first win in Daytona's summer race since 2020, when he earned his first career win in the 2020 Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Ryan Blaney will start on the pole for Saturday's race, which serves as the Cup Series regular season finale.

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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