A successful debut run for Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing this past weekend at Daytona International Speedway has been rendered obsolete, after a major penalty was assessed Wednesday by NASCAR.
According to NASCAR’s Penalty Report, the No. 19 team has been handed down an L2-level penalty, for modifying the spoiler base on the seventh-generation car, where the spoiler base bolts to the deck lid.
James Small, crew chief of the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE, has been suspended for the next four NASCAR Cup Series events, at Atlanta, COTA, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. The driver and the team have each been docked 100 points, as well as 10 Playoff Points.
The reprimand for this specific penalty also includes a $100,00 fine to Joe Gibbs Racing.
In a statement released on Wednesday night, Joe Gibbs Racing indicated the team will appeal the penalties enforced by NASCAR.
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will appeal the penalty issued by NASCAR to the No. 19 Cup Series team today.
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.
Briscoe, who moved from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing over to Joe Gibbs Racing during the off-season, was able to score the pole position for the DAYTONA 500, and after driving through the last-lap chaos, scoring a fourth-place finish.
The No. 19 Toyota was one of the two entries that NASCAR elected to bring back to the R&D Center for further inspection.
Also handed penalties as part of Wednesday’s Penalty Report from NASCAR where Front Row Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing.
The two organizations, who had their original crew chiefs ejected from the racetrack prior to Thursday’s Duels at Daytona International Speedway, have been handed down Safety Violations, specifically referring to Ballast Containers.
NASCAR’s Penalty Report adds as a note that” any ballast added to the vehicle must be secured inside a ballast container”.
The No. 34 (Todd Gilliland) and No. 51 (Cody Ware) entries have been docked 10 driver and owner points heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway.
