The Daytona 500 marked the points-paying debut of Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing car, and things were looking good. A pole position heading into the race, plus a strong performance at NASCAR’s crown jewel, marked Briscoe out as a driver to watch in 2025.

There was just one problem: The No. 19 crew had fudged the rules to find that speed, and now, they’ve been slapped with a massive penalty that will see Briscoe having to recover from a negative-points deficit.

Chase Briscoe slapped with $100,000, 100-point penalty

When longtime No. 19 driver Martin Truex Jr. announced his retirement from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition at the end of the 2024 season, the hunt was on for a driver who could match the reliability and performance of the veteran — and the Joe Gibbs Racing organization settled on Chase Briscoe.

At just 30 years old and with just four full-time Cup Series seasons and two wins under his belt, Briscoe was an inspired choice. The driver would be losing his seat as a result of Tony Stewart dropping out of Stewart-Haas Racing and Gene Haas opting to reduce the size of his Cup operation to just a single car.

The move seemed to pay off, too. Pole position for the Daytona 500 is determined by a qualifying session, then two heat races — and Briscoe survived the fray with the honor of leading the field to the green flag for Sunday’s race.

During the race itself, Briscoe was a strong contender. Despite a slew of red flags and multi-car pile-ups, the driver from Mitchell, Indiana took home a fourth-place finish.

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There was just one problem: NASCAR determined the car was equipped with an illegally modified part — namely, its spoiler.

The pole-winning car was taken to NASCAR’s Research & Development Center for some post-race testing; there, NASCAR officials discovered the illegal modifications.

In NASCAR, as in Formula 1, there are certain components that are sourced from a “single supplier,” which effectively means that these are stock parts that every team must use. Modifying those specific parts is expressly forbidden in NASCAR’s rulebook — so, because the No. 19’s single-source supplied spoiler was altered, Briscoe and crew were penalized.

NASCAR states that the base of the spoiler was modified in such a way that it could allow the component to bend under under air pressure, thus reducing drag and increasing top speed.

The resulting penalty is huge. The No. 19 team has been not only been fined $100,000, but Briscoe himself has been penalized 100 driver points and 10 playoff points. Joe Gibbs Racing has been fined 100 owner points, and crew chief James Small has been suspended for the next four points-paying Cup races — meaning he won’t be able to return until the end of March.

This is the biggest penalty for a single driver/car combo since Briscoe’s No. 14 crew was fined $250,000 after it was found to be counterfeiting parts in 2023.

Joe Gibbs Racing intends to appeal the penalty, which is so hefty that it could very well determine Briscoe’s ability to compete for a championship later in the year.

It also means Briscoe has been dropped to the very bottom of the driver standings, boasting -67 points. Yes, you’re reading that right: Briscoe has a points deficit, and he won’t be able to start amassing points again until that debt is paid.

The No. 19’s penalty was only one of several announced by NASCAR. The Nos. 34 (Front Row Motorsports) and 51 (Rick Ware Racing) were both docked 10 driver points and 10 owner points due to unsecured ballast.

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