NASCAR Appeals Panel Sides with Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing, Overturns Major Penalty

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has cleared Joe Gibbs Racing of any wrong doing in regard to a penalty NASCAR assessed Chase Briscoe’s team following the season opening Daytona 500.

The penalty dealt with the vehicle assembly rules and the Toyota’s spoiler. NASCAR gave a four-race suspension to crew chief James Small, a $100,000 fine to Gibbs and a loss of 100 championship points and 10 playoff points to Gibbs and Briscoe. That left Briscoe, who won the pole for the Daytona 500, 45th in the driver standings after the prestigious race.

However, on Wednesday, the Appeals Panel determined that after hearing testimony, JGR, Small and Briscoe didn’t violate the rules set forth in the penalty.

“In all seriousness, thank you to NASCAR for giving us the option to show our evidence and huge thank you to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, who put in countless hours to put everything together.

“A lot of people keep saying I’m lucky to be where I am … Just wanted to clarify that I’m not lucky, I’m blessed.”

In reaching its decision, the three-person panel said it believed the elongation of some of the holes on the number 19 Cup car spoiler was caused by the process of attaching that specific spoiler base to the rear deck and not modification of the single source part.

The panel was comprised of Dixon Johnston, Hunter Nickell and Cathy Rice.