The first penalty report of the NASCAR season is significant. NASCAR has issued L2 penalties to the No. 19 team of Joe Gibbs Racing, resulting in a suspension and the loss of points.
According to the penalty report, the No. 19 team violated Sections 14.1.C&D&S: Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules; 14.5.8.A: Spoiler. The note says that the team modified a single-source supplied part.
As a result, the No. 19 team and Chase Briscoe have each lost 100 points and 10 playoff points. The team received a $100,000 fine. Crew chief James Small received a four-race suspension.
Small will be away from the team through the Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will be eligible to return for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 23.
Briscoe, who crossed the start-finish line in fourth place, left the Daytona 500 10th in points. This penalty dropped him to last in the Cup standings. He is behind every full-time driver, as well as Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.
"Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will appeal the penalty issued by NASCAR to the No. 19 Cup Series team today," the team said in a statement.
"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 No. 19 team of Joe Gibbs Racing was not the only one to receive penalties after the Daytona 500. NASCAR penalized the No. 34 team of Front Row Motorsports and the No. 51 team of Rick Ware Racing for violating Section 14.11.2.1.A: Ballast Containers.
The penalty report stated that "any and all ballast added to the vehicle must be secured inside the ballast container."
These violations were discovered during pre-qualifying inspection, which led to the ejections of Front Row crew chief Chris Lawson and Rick Ware crew chief Billy Plourde for the rest of the Daytona 500 weekend. The penalty report stated that both teams were assessed with the loss of 10 driver and 10 owner points.