Defining cheating in NASCAR is as much an art as getting away with an oversized carburetor. (To younger readers: A carburetor is a device that was used in the rest of the world before fuel injection was invented, but is still used in NASCAR. And no, we aren't sure why.)
We can all agree that cheating happens when you break a rule. But there are a lot of gray areas in motorsports, though NASCAR does have that clause in the rule book—which we've seen, but weren't supposed to, since it's secret—regarding "actions detrimental" to the sport. That can cover anything.
But for decades, mechanics and crew chiefs have done their best to work around NASCAR's rules. Smokey Yunick, the legendary Daytona Beach mechanic, used to insist that it wasn't cheating if the rules didn't say you couldn't do it (see number 2 below). Every year, the NASCAR rule book gets a little thicker, a little less gray. "It can be frustrating," says Chad Knaus, crew chief for four-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Knaus has had his share of run-ins with NASCAR inspectors (see number 3). "But it would be more frustrating to give up trying to make our car better."
See the list at the link:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/top-nascar-engineering-cheats
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