The NASCAR Cup Series standings significantly changed for two drivers in one day due to penalties issued to one driver and a successful appeal by a championship-winning team.
Austin Cindric was 11th in the standings when NASCAR teams departed Circuit of the Americas last weekend. He had 80 points. Chase Briscoe was 46th in the standings with -28 points due to an L2-level penalty issued to Joe Gibbs Racing after the Daytona 500.
Fast-forward to March 5. Cindric is now 35th in the Cup Series standings with 30 points. Briscoe is tied for 14th with 72 points. So what changed?
Cindric was on the receiving end of behavioral penalties issued after Circuit of the Americas. NASCAR determined that he intentionally wrecked Ty Dillon on Lap 4 of the Cup Series race. NASCAR fined Cindric $50,000 and took away 50 driver points.
Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing originally lost 100 driver and 100 owner points as part of penalties issued for the modification of a single-source part. They appealed the penalties and presented their case on Wednesday.
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel overturned the penalties, which immediately added the 100 points back to Briscoe's total. This, as he posted on X, was the biggest points day of his career.
The season is only three races deep, but this massive change in the Cup Series standings could play a role during the summer when every point matters.
Briscoe is currently two spots above the playoff cutline. He has a five-point advantage over teammate Denny Hamlin, the first driver out of a playoff spot on points. He has a nine-point advantage over both Shane van Gisbergen and Todd Gilliland.
Cindric, for comparison, is 41 points out of a playoff spot. This is not an insurmountable hurdle, considering how early in the season he received the penalty. However, he no longer has any room for error. He can't afford DNFs.
Obviously, either driver can win a race and automatically lock up a spot in the playoffs. This would make the point standings conversation moot. Yet, this is not a guarantee for either driver.
Cindric has been in the Cup Series since 2022. He has two wins -- the 2022 Daytona 500 and last season at World Wide Technology Raceway. He went winless in 2023 and missed the playoffs.
Briscoe has been in the Cup Series since 2021. He went winless as a rookie and then won at Phoenix Raceway in 2022. He went winless in 2023 and missed the playoffs but won at Darlington Raceway last season.