Chase Briscoe and JGR receive Stiff Penalty following Daytona inspection

Chase Briscoe’s Daytona 500 pole-winning status took a major hit on Wednesday when NASCAR penalized Joe Gibbs Racing for a rules violation involving the No. 19 Toyota. The infraction, discovered during the inspection process, involved an altered spoiler base—a single-source part that teams are prohibited from modifying.

As a result, NASCAR issued severe penalties against JGR, including a 100-point deduction in both the driver and owner standings, along with a loss of 10 playoff points. The team was also fined $100,000, and crew chief James Small received a four-race suspension. Briscoe, who had been ranked 10th in the standings, plummeted to 39th and will enter the upcoming race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a deficit of 67 points.

Joe Gibbs Racing has opted to appeal the ruling, stating that the issue stemmed from the assembly process. According to the team, interference with supplied parts caused the pre-drilled holes for the spoiler base attachment bolts to wear down, leading to the detected irregularity.

This marks the second straight year that the Daytona 500 pole winner has been penalized. In 2024, Joey Logano was cited for using an illegal glove during his qualifying run.

For Briscoe, this penalty creates an uphill battle in his debut season with JGR. At best, he won’t have a chance to move into positive points until the third race of the season at Circuit of the Americas.

Additionally, NASCAR issued penalties to two other teams on Wednesday. The No. 34 Front Row Motorsports entry driven by Todd Gilliland and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing car piloted by Cody Ware were both cited for a safety violation involving added ballast. As a result, each driver lost 10 points, and their teams suffered a 10-point owner deduction.