Daytona hydration packs from Nos. 34, 51 on display in post-penalty demonstration at COTA
AUSTIN, Texas — NASCAR's show-and-tell took center stage Friday afternoon at Circuit of The Americas, revealing more details about the penalties that led to crew chief ejections for the Nos. 34 and 51 teams at the 2025 Daytona 500 and a loss of 10 driver and owner points.
In pre-race inspection, NASCAR officials found that lead weights were added to the hydration packs and in various cord covers that were not secured in both vehicles, which is a safety infraction. Per the NASCAR Rule Book, both teams violated Section 14.11.2.1, A, which notes that 'any and all ballast added to the vehicle must be secured in a ballast container(s).'
'They probably weren't planning on racing with this, but what they were doing is having this on for right side weight in the inspection,' Cup Series director Brad Moran said during the demonstration Friday. 'The ballast was to the right side where the driver hydration is, which we take seriously. Our drivers, we want to make sure they get proper hydration. So this was on the right side of the car. That (part) would have been exchanged during the approved adjustments prior to racing.'
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There also were parts of the driver cooling system and a power cord with additional lead weight that was not hooked up and sitting on the driver's side during the inspection.
'You add that up and we could be anywhere from 10 to 14 pounds [heavier] … we don't need to get that technical, but we know a power cord doesn't weigh what this weighs,' Moran said. 'Most teams don't go in this direction because the price is too big — again, 10 points doesn't sound like much, but it is if you're trying to win a championship.'
Both crew chiefs — Chris Lawson (No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford) and Billy Plourde (No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford) — returned for the Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Drivers Todd Gilliland (No. 34) and Cody Ware (No. 51) are both outside the top 20 in the points standings entering this weekend's race at Circuit of The Americas.
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