Chase Briscoe, facing a significant penalty after the Daytona 500, remains optimistic despite the mounting pressure on his Joe Gibbs Racing team.

The No. 19 team received penalties for modifying a single-sourced supplied part (spoiler), discovered during post-race inspection at the NASCAR R&D Center. The sanctions include:

• 100 points deduction
• 10 playoff points penalty
• $100,000 fine
• Four-race suspension for crew chief James Small

"It's not ideal, but there's still a chance to appeal," Briscoe stated at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The team is currently appealing the decision, allowing Small to remain with the team temporarily.

The timing is particularly challenging for Briscoe, who recently joined Joe Gibbs Racing. If the appeal fails, he and Small will miss four crucial weeks of building their working relationship. However, Briscoe remains confident in JGR's depth, with competition director Gabehart available to support the team.

Currently sitting at -67 points and -10 playoff points, Briscoe acknowledges the increased pressure but sees it as motivation. "If we don't win the appeal, you've kind of used up your mulligans," he explained. "You don't have any weekends you can have bad."

Despite these challenges, Briscoe maintains his focus on winning races, recognizing that championship contention requires race victories regardless of the circumstances. "You're still going to have to win," he emphasized, "If you want to be a championship contender, you're going to have to win a race anyway to get in the playoffs, and hopefully that's what we can do."

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