Daytona Beach, Fla. ? NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. was knocked out of first place in the Nextel Cup by a slip of the tongue.

Earnhardt was docked 25 points and fined $10,000 by NASCAR on Tuesday for cursing during a TV interview after his victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

Asked Sunday by NASCAR broadcaster NBC about the significance of his fifth victory at Talladega, Earnhardt said, “It don’t mean (blank) right now. Daddy’s won here 10 times.”

Now, instead of leading Kurt Busch by 13 points in the Nextel Cup standings, Earnhardt, the son of the late seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt, trails by 12 with seven races left in the season.

Richie Gilmore, director of competition for Dale Earnhardt Inc., said the team would appeal NASCAR’s decision.

“This is a huge setback for the entire company,” Gilmore said. “We’re in a sport that focuses its primary attention on the final 10 races of the season and we’re racing against formidable teams for a championship. We’re facing a setback from a competition standpoint for something that should be considered a personal foul. We have no choice but to appeal the points portion of the penalty.

“I think we’re the only sport that takes points off of the board after they’ve been scored. The popularity of this sport is based on colorful personalities and the fact that everyone can relate to these drivers and their emotions. Now, it seems like that’s a detriment.”

Earnhardt will be credited with the 14th victory of his career and fifth at Talladega but, with the points penalty, it’s as if he finished fifth Sunday. Still, he has plenty of time to make up the deficit on Busch, with up to 190 points available at each of the last seven events.