NASCAR shows off cleverly hidden illegal weights in Todd Gilliland, Cody Ware water bottles from Daytona

A little bit of old-school shortcutting was done at Daytona a couple of weeks ago by Todd Gilliland and Cody Ware. NASCAR caught them both. It appears the teams were using lead weights in their water bottle bags.

Drivers have water bottles in their cars that have sleeves around them to insulate and keep the water cool. Well, the No. 34 and No. 51 teams both used lead weights in those insulated bags/sleeves to add weight to the car.

The Front Row and Rick Ware Racing teams were penalized 10 points each and lost their crew chiefs for the Daytona 500.

Managing Director of NASCAR brought the parts out for the media to view at COTA. Ware’s team had weighted cords that were not hooked up to anything. Only there to add more weight.

The general idea is that these weights would be removed for the race and it would allow the cars to still pass postrace inspection. But NASCAR was one step ahead. Gilliland’s team did more to conceal the weight, sewing it into the water bottle bag. Ware’s team had it in the bag loose.

Jeff Gluck of The Athletic shared photos on X/Twitter of the weights and bags. A bit of clever trickery that didn’t quite work out.

Show and Tell Day in the NASCAR hauler. This was the unsecured weight from the 34 and 51 teams at Daytona. The ol’ lead in the water bottle trick, except the lead in this case was in the bag surrounding the drink bottle. NASCAR says the 34 team sewed it into the lining while the… pic.twitter.com/zY99DOxOhG

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 28, 2025

While it didn’t work out, this shows that some NASCAR tricks have not gone away. Cheating on weight is a time-honored tradition in motorsports. It always will be.

How about these teams putting their sewing skills to the test the last two seasons? Last year, Joey Logano got busted with a webbed glove that he used in qualifying at Daytona and Atlanta. Now Gilliland has a secret lead weight pocket sewed into his water bottle bag.

NASCAR being more transparent with parts penalties

Last season, NASCAR began the process of being more transparent in the penalty process. That includes these in-person showings that reveal parts penalties for what they are. It is a good way for fans and other teams to understand what is going on.

Instead of NASCAR saying a part was illegal and then penalizing a team and closing the book on it, they have a process now. The media being able to hold the parts, take pictures, and share it with fans online is a great asset to the sport.

The first two weeks of the season it was all about superspeedways. This week, things turn towards the road course at COTA and then off to Phoenix. Each week the next month or so brings different tracks and racing styles. So, pay attention, the NASCAR season is beginning to unfold.