NASCAR has officially declined Joe Gibbs Racing’s (JGR) appeal over the major penalties handed down to Chase Briscoe and the No. 19 team following the 2025 Daytona 500. The decision leaves both Briscoe and JGR facing a tough road ahead early in the season.
The controversy started when post-race inspections revealed an unauthorized modification to the spoiler on Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota. NASCAR enforces strict rules on single-source supplied parts like spoilers, and any changes are treated as serious violations. As a result, NASCAR issued an L2-level penalty, which included a deduction of 100 driver and owner points, a loss of 10 playoff points, a $100,000 fine, and a four-race suspension for crew chief James Small.
JGR appealed the penalty, arguing that the issue was unintentional. The team claimed that during assembly, bolts attaching the spoiler caused wear on pre-drilled holes, leading to the irregularity. They insisted that there was no intent to manipulate the car’s performance. Despite these arguments, NASCAR upheld the penalty, emphasizing its commitment to maintaining fairness and the integrity of the competition.
This setback is particularly hard on Chase Briscoe, who is still adjusting to his new role at JGR. After an impressive start to the season—earning the pole position and finishing fourth at Daytona—this penalty now drops him far down in the standings and significantly hurts his playoff hopes.
For JGR, the denied appeal adds pressure as they now work to recover from this major points loss. It also highlights the fine line teams walk between pushing for performance and adhering to NASCAR’s strict rules.
As the season moves forward, all attention will be on how Briscoe and the No. 19 team respond to this challenge. Overcoming such a significant points deficit won’t be easy, but with JGR’s resources and Briscoe’s talent, a comeback isn’t out of the question.
