Since when is it OK to cheat and get away with it? Other than in Congress?
The notion that a winning car can fail postrace inspection and keep its win is appalling.
For years, the response from NASCAR was that the fans should know that the driver they saw cross the finish line first is the winner and not find out later that the order has changed.
That thinking is outdated. In this era of instant communications, such information can be passed along quickly.
Admittedly, there is a concern that a violation might not be discovered until inspection at NASCAR’s R&D Center, which takes place typically two days after the race.
Still, isn’t it better to get it right than let a cheater win?
To NASCAR’s credit, if the violation is severe enough, it can prevent the victory from counting toward a driver making the Chase or advancing to the next round.
That’s not enough. If the penalty is that severe, then the win should be stricken from the driver’s record and not count in any official statistics. And the driver and team lose the points collected in that race.
It’s simple. Make teams pay for cheating.