Chase Briscoe receives heavy penalty after Daytona

The penalty applied is level L2, that is to say it refers to a modification of one of the parts standardized by the NASCAR. The rear spoiler support is at fault, and Briscoe and his team are hit with various penalties. The team must indeed pay a fine of $100, while the driver loses 000 points in the general classification, and ten playoff points, if he were to qualify. The American therefore drops back to last place in the championship standings, with -100 points. His chief mechanic James Small is suspended for the next four events of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

Joe Gibbs Racing announced in a statement that it intends to appeal NASCAR's decision. Former American football coach Joe Gibbs' organization also explained the reason behind the modification of the spoiler bracket: "The issue in question occurred during the assembly process, when the bolts used to secure the spoiler base to the trunk caused the pre-drilled holes to wear out due to interference from the supplied parts."

Briscoe's situation with a negative number of points is reminiscent of Michael Waltrip's start to the 2007 season. Penalized for using aviation gasoline instead of regular fuel, Waltrip left Daytona with -27 points on his odometer. Having failed to qualify for the next eleven rounds, it took the two-time Daytona 500 winner nearly three months to get back to a positive total. A mishap that should not happen to Chase Briscoe, who automatically qualified for every race this year as a franchise driver.

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