Appeals panel overturns NASCAR penalty to Chase Briscoe and his team
CONCORD, N.C. — Chase Briscoe and his Joe Gibbs Racing team won an appeal of the penalty NASCAR handed to them after the Daytona 500.
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel overturned the penalties NASCAR handed to them for an infraction with their Daytona 500 car.
NASCAR docked Briscoe and his team 100 championship points and 10 playoff points. They also issued a four-race suspension to crew chief James Small and issued a $100,000 fine to owner Joe Gibbs.
In a statement, Joe Gibbs Racing explained what they believed the issue was:
“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.”
The appeals panel sided with them Wednesday. Upon hearing testimony, panelists ruled “the Appellants did not violate the Rule(s) set forth in the Penalty Notice.” They added this explanation:
“The panel believes that the elongation of some of the holes on the number 19 Cup car spoiler base is caused by the process of attaching that specific spoiler base to the rear deck and not modification of the single source part.”
With the 100 championship points back, Briscoe is now 14th in points, five points below the cutline. Before, he was 46th in points, 95 below the cutline.
“We appreciate the process NASCAR has in place that allowed us the opportunity to present our explanation of what led to the penalty issued to our No. 19 team,” Gibbs said. “We are thankful for the consideration and ruling by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. It is obviously great news for our 19 team and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing. We look forward to focusing on the remainder of our season starting this weekend in Phoenix.”
“Biggest points day of my career! We’re back! In all seriousness, thank you to NASCAR for giving us the option to show our evidence. And huge thank you to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing who put in countless hours to put everything together,” Briscoe said on social media.
Dixon Johnston, Hunter Nickell and Cathy Rice served on the panel for the hearing.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com