NASCAR Hands Out Point Penalties, Not Suspensions, for Texas Incidents

NASCAR has announced point penalties and fines for both William Byron and Ty Gibbs in response to their actions during last weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas. Byron was fined $50,000 and penalized 25 points each in the driver's and owner's standings, while Gibbs, who is a full time Xfinity Series driver and does not score points in the higher-level Cup Series, was fined $75,000 and penalized just the 25 owner points.

While a suspension may have been more appropriate, Byron's penalty is at least substantial. As Byron is in the middle of the series playoffs, the 25 points significantly reduce his chance of advancing to the next round and, by extent, fighting for a championship later on down the line. He has moved from ahead of the cutoff line with two races remaining in the Round of 12 to 8 points below it, meaning he will need to pass at least two drivers in the standings in upcoming races at Talladega and the Charlotte infield road course if he hopes to advance to the Round of 8.