In recent times in NASCAR, one topic may stand out. In a sport that was founded based on moonshine runners and lawless convicts, penalties have grown more important than ever before. The biggest of these came just half a year ago. During the 2024 Martinsville playoff race, Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain formed a Chevrolet wall to let William Byron get ahead. Then Bubba Wallace’s phantom tire issue let Christopher Bell soar ahead. These antics led to $600,000 in fines as race manipulation accusations were slapped across three teams.

This mind-boggling amount still lingers in the minds of people. Fans look back on it as a jaw-dropping record, and drivers look back on it as a jarring reminder not to go overboard with unlawful tactics. That is because once fined, the money obviously does not come back. So where does it go?

NASCAR pools the damages in a safe place

Let us flip through the pages of history. Fines can always be an unpleasant business, no matter which sport they are involved in. In NASCAR, race teams are heavily afflicted by big fines as they have already put so much money into cars, drivers, equipment, crew, and so forth. This financial dread first set in on June 19th, 1949.

Glenn Dunaway won the race at the 0.75-mile dirt track in Charlotte, but officials were skeptical about the steadiness of his car. As it turned out, the car owner, Hubert Westmoreland, had spread the rear springs — an old moonshine running trick to improve handling. When handed a disqualification, Westmoreland took NASCAR to court to seek $10,000 in damages. Although that did not work out in his favor, it emphasized the impact of a penalty on a race win.

A Reddit fan posted this question recently, asking how NASCAR uses the fines. Jayski’s Silly Season Site explains the process of where fines go: “Since the start of the 2008 season, all money collected from fines issued to drivers go to NASCAR. NASCAR then donates the money to the NASCAR Foundation for its charitable initiatives. The drivers do NOT get a tax deduction on fines. Before 2008, the money collected from driver/crew member penalties were placed into the Drivers Points Fund, awarded at the end of the season.”

So, if it is stripping a race victory like Jesse Love lost his Rockingham trophy or a $25,000 wreck penalty that followed the massive Martinsville chaos in Xfinity this year, NASCAR can be harsh with teams after a rule infraction. For that purpose, the sanctioning body is also transparent about where it stores teams’ damages. While the proceeds going to charity is a noble initiative, it’s a stark contrast to the former Drivers’ Points Fund, which refers to the year-end money awarded to the top 25 drivers.

This clarity about NASCAR’s pooled fines may ease penalized drivers’ struggles a bit. After all, many teams have shut down due to crippling fines in the past. On October 9, 1983, Richard Petty won his 198th race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But barely four hours later, NASCAR slapped a $35,000 (today it would be $110,000) on Petty. A big engine and left-side tires on the right side of his car were the reasons. Petty Enterprises paid the fine, but the consequence was harsh. It didn’t have enough money to field two cars in 1984.

Hence, NASCAR’s clarity about where teams’ fines go is doubly important. Such penalties have popped up very frequently in recent times. Moreover, it has barely been a day since the Cup Series faced its latest one.

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Kansas stories still continue

Well, Kyle Larson dominated the primary Kansas story last weekend. The Hendrick Motorsports driver dominated 221 of 267 scheduled laps, proving his legendary prowess yet again. But while Larson is still basking in glory with his third victory of the season, his partner in a 2024 photo finish at Kansas nursing a fresh wound after the latest race. RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher finished 8th in Kansas, moving up to 12th in the championship standings. However, all of that turned into dust.

NASCAR penalized the No. 17 Ford team for a front bumper cover violation. NASCAR docked Chris Buescher and the team 60 points each. It also suspended crew chief Scott Graves for the next two races. More importantly, the team incurred a $75,000 fine for the L1 infraction.

NASCAR cited the team for violating Section 14.5.4.G. It states, “The front fascia may be strengthened on the inner surface with bonded on non-metallic materials in the area contacting the bumper foam and up to 2 inches further in all directions.” Brad Moran, managing director of the Cup Series, said that the No. 17 team had a “larger area than what is permitted to be bonded into the nosepiece, which resulted in a violation…It’s an area that they can work on. But they went too far would be the simplest ways of putting it.”

RFK Racing also issued a statement on the penalty. It read, “We remain committed to full compliance with NASCAR’s rules. We are carefully reviewing the details of the situation to determine if we will file an appeal within the timeframe allotted.” The team listed Doug Randolph as the crew chief for this weekend’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro on the crew roster submitted to NASCAR.

Such fines and penalties may keep coming frequently, given the specific rulebook of the Next-Gen car. As the 2025 season progresses, let us see if teams can navigate through fine potholes well or not.