At the Michigan International Speedway, the Xfinity Series returned for the first time in four weeks. However, it proved to be an unhappy scenario for Parker Kligerman and his no. 48 Big Machine Racing team. Kligerman and the No. 48 team were docked 20 driver and owner points along with five NASCAR playoff points, after it was discovered that they had made unauthorized modifications to the car’s rear spoiler. This decision could seriously damage Kligerman’s playoff hopes with five races to go.

Additionally, NASCAR also slapped crew chief Patrick Donahue with a fine of $25,000 as part of their decision on Wednesday. All in all, the Cabo Wabo 250 was a forgetful affair for Big Machine Racing. However, they found some sympathy from the fans who thought they were hard done by.

Before the penalty, the team held a 36-point cushion above the Xfinity Series Playoffs elimination line, following Kligerman’s 11th-place finish. But now that margin has been reduced to just 16 points. Kligerman sits 11th in the playoff standings with 560 points, ahead of  JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith (545) and RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg, who is one place outside the 12-driver playoff bracket with 544 points.

With only five races remaining, Kligerman’s predicament becomes precarious and he will have to perform more or less the same way he has so far. Although he has no wins to his name, the 34-year-old has two top-5 and nine top-10 finishes so far. His season’s best finish came at the Chicago Street Race last month, where he was placed fourth. But failure to finish in the top 10 again this season could prove to be detrimental.

The race at the Michigan International Speedway ended with Justin Allgaier coming out on top after a delay. Allgaier was in the lead when a rain shower interrupted proceedings. At the restart, Allgaier was able to stay ahead and secure his first win at the Michigan International Speedway.

This sets the stage for Friday evening’s race at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where Kligerman would be hoping to increase the gap between him and other playoff hopefuls.

This penalty comes as a jolt to Kligerman, who earlier this season, was happy with the improvements from him and his team sounded confident about the future. Meanwhile, many fans, who were rooting for the underdog Big Machine Racing team, have now stepped up to show their support for Kligerman, as they took to X to share their thoughts.

Fans disgruntled with Parker Kligerman’s team fines

The Chevrolet, driven by Parker Kligerman, was found to violate Section 14.4.10. A of the NASCAR Rule Book, that governs modifications to the rear spoiler. According to Section 10.5.2.2. A&B of the Rule Book, L1-level penalties can include issues like team-sourced parts not meeting NASCAR standards, failure to meet the minimum post-race weight, or failure to submit and receive approval for parts.

One fan, who was rooting for the team but was disappointed to see them get stripped of 5 playoff points wrote, “RIP small playoff contending team,”. Having a 20-point penalty did not help either. With only a few races to go, there is little margin for error.

Another fan sympathized with Parker Kligerman’s situation, saying, “Ouch. There was a legitimate contender too.” The team has performed quite well through the season despite only being founded in 2023, and seeing such a contender get a penalty has many fans unhappy.

Back in June, Kligerman talked to Dustin Albino and shared his thoughts for the season. “My sole focus this year is to just go win. Points have been nice, and I know we could have more points, but I’ve barely even looked at it because I know we can run well enough to just be here on points. I know that we can win. We’re still trying to improve our program and make things better every week,” he said.

In 21 races so far, a win continues to elude Kligerman and his team. Could NASCAR’s penalty change that? Will we see a more motivated No. 48 performance at Daytona?

One fan could not understand the reason behind Kligerman being docked points. The baffled fan asked, “For what?”? Indeed, it was a technical issue, and the driver had no control over it, as it was the crew chief’s job to ensure that the cars met NASCAR’s standards.

NASCAR has come down hard on violations and behavior on the track recently. In the Cup Series, Austin Dillon 25 driver and owner points after he sent Joey Logano spinning before barging Denny Hamlin at the Richmond Raceway on 11 August. Though NASCAR allowed his win to stand, they declared it wouldn’t count toward the Cup Series playoffs.

On Kligerman’s penalty, a fan was sarcastic, as they pointed out NASCAR for their random checks. The penalty was issued four days after the race on Saturday, 17 August, which failed to make sense to them. In their comment, they stated, “Gotta love ‘randomly’ choosing cars for inspection and penalizing them 4 days later.”

NASCAR has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to car modifications and violations during inspections. Last year, they penalized five Xfinity teams for violations that came to light during an inspection at Daytona International Speedway. The drivers were given a pass-thru penalty and lost pit selection for the next race after their car failed the inspection.

“Not surprised,” said the fan who likes things by the rule book. According to them, Parker Kligerman and his team deserve the penalty given to them, especially considering that they had violated the predetermined rules.

Do you think that NASCAR made the right call with their punishments? Share your thoughts in the comments below.