Appeals Panel Overturns L2 Penalty for Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel (NMAP) elected to overturn an L2-level penalty assessed to Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing on February 19 for the alleged modification of a single-source part.

The penalty, which was handed down to the championship-winning organization for modifying the spoiler base, included a deduction of 100 driver and owner points, a fine of $100,000 to the organization, the loss of 10 Playoff Points, and a four-race suspension for James Small, crew chief of the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE.

Now that the penalty has been rescinded by the three-person appeals panel, consisting of Dixon Johnston, Hunter Nickell, and Cathy Rice, all of those consequences have been reverted for Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing.

A statement from the National Motorsports Appeals Panel reads; "The panel believes that the elongation of some of the holes on the No. 19 Cup car spoiler base is caused by the process of attaching that specific spoiler base to the rear deck and not the modification of the single source part."

The reinstatement of the 100 points deducted from his season-long total launched Briscoe from a dismal 46th-place in NASCAR Cup Series point standings to 15th-place, and as things stand, currently set to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, after three races.

Before Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) had the opportunity to appeal the penalty handed to Chase Briscoe and the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE team, Dave Alpern, President of Joe Gibbs Racing, spoke with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about the penalty, saying he didn't think the team modified a part.

“My best explanation is like when you buy furniture from IKEA, and you get a couple of pieces you gotta line up the holes and you gotta put the screws in,” Alpern said. “Well, when they attached the spoiler to the base, it has 21 pre-drilled holes and they don’t all line up perfectly, so we screwed the spoiler on, it passed inspection, it raced legally, it passed inspection afterward. When they took it off, some of the screw holes were offset, again because when you go to install it, they don’t line up perfectly.”

With the penalty rescinded, Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing, and James Small can go back to worrying about building a rapport between them, as the first-year pairing attempts to qualify for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs -- whether that be through a victory, or by points.