Daytona 500 penalties: NASCAR hits Chase Briscoe, No. 19 team with massive punishment

NASCAR has handed down a massive penalty following its post-race inspections after the Daytona 500 and Chase Briscoe and his team have been hit hard.

According to Dustin Albino of NASCAR.com, the governing body docked the No. 19 team 100 points, 10 playoff points and suspended crew chief James Small for the next four races due to modifications to the car’s spoiler. The team was also fined $100,000.

In addition, FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass reported that Todd Gilliland and Cody Ware were both docked 10 points for not having ballast in the proper ballast containers for pre-race tech.

The penalties, for Chase Briscoe in particular, are stiff. They stack up as some of the harshest handed out in the last year, which will serve as a pretty good deterrent in the future. They’ll also put Briscoe’s team behind the 8-ball to open the 2025 campaign.

Briscoe finished P4 in NASCAR’s season opener at Daytona, securing 33 points as a result. He did not land any stage points, though he led the race for four laps.

Chase Briscoe getting into better shape

Before the season started there was one noticeable change for Chase Briscoe: He’s simply in much better shape right now. An offseason move has helped with that.

Under Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing, diet and exercise weren’t really top priorities. They are now at Joe Gibbs Racing. The Indiana boy can’t eat like he’s at his mom’s house all the time anymore. He’s putting away the fruits and veggies as well.

Briscoe spoke to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports about the change and how it came about.

“I wouldn’t say Toyota as much as JGR,” Briscoe said. “I think it’s like there for Toyota, too, I know they have a nutritionist and all that. But it’s honestly been James has been trying to get me way down. They wanted me down 15 pounds before the season started. I’m down almost 10. So, I was doing really, really good, truthfully up until a week and a half ago. So, I’ve been doing way better.”

That kind of attention to detail was not there at Stewart-Haas. As Briscoe put it to Pockrass:

“SHR I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted,” he said with a laugh.

Chase Briscoe at Joe Gibbs Racing is a big deal. This is an organization that can tap into Briscoe’s potential and let his talents shine. Getting him into better shape is just part of the equation.

On3’s Jonathan Howard also contributed to this report.