That was my reaction when I saw the reports that two Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide Series teams were found to have deliberately attempted to falsify a NASCAR-mandated dynamometer test by inserting magnets under the accelerator pedals — essentially keeping the pedals from depressing fully, which would produce a lower horsepower reading because the throttle isn’t wide open. And when you’re doing that, something isn’t right.

I could think of only two reasons why a team would try to sandbag a dyno test like that.  In response to NASCAR’s decision to bring Toyota’s horsepower readings in line with the other manufacturers by mandating a spacer that is the thickness of a single sheet of paper smaller the Toyota teams involved might have tried to produce a false reading to look like the spacer rule puts them at a disadvantage. Perhaps they reasoned that if they could make the reading look bad, NASCAR would reconsider and give back what many felt was an unfair penalty. Using falsely produced test results to gain an advantage would certainly help out in future races. If this is the case, the manipulation was done to circumvent a NASCAR rule, whether the rule was fair or not.

The second reason is potentially even more insidious. What if the hard-working engine builders at JGR had produced something to make up for the smaller spacer, but that something was decidedly in the “gray area” as far as the rules were concerned? If the cars were producing the same amount of power as they were before the rule change, NASCAR would surely be suspicious. They might decide to take the engine and look at it more closely. And if that “gray area” was too gray?  The penalty for a tricked-out engine wouldn’t be pretty.

The penalty for attempting to produce false results in a NASCAR-mandated dynamometer test, it turns out, is even harsher. When the dust cleared, the punishment levied on the Nos. 18 and 20 teams were unprecedented, and should send an unmistakable message to other teams. Seven people, including the crew chiefs, car chiefs, and engine tuners from both teams, were suspended indefinitely. Basically, that means when NASCAR feels like it, it might let them come back. Realistically, that’s not going to be much before the end of the season, and probably not until after the last flag drops at Homestead. The rest of the teams were placed on probation until the end of the year — everyone from drivers Joey Logano and Tony Stewart to the catch-can men. And then NASCAR took the same number of owner and driver points as it would likely have for any infraction found in a race — a substantial 150 markers.

Fair? Oh yeah. I’m not 100 percent sold on the point fine, because both cars did pass post-race inspection (although that doesn’t mean something didn’t slip by) and apparently did not cheat to gain points in the race at Michigan. On the other hand, the infraction was most definitely designed to gain (or cover) a competitive advantage. I do, however, firmly believe that NASCAR should have smacked the teams with one more thing — and it should do the same for every team caught circumventing the rules.

If NASCAR really wanted to make a statement and make teams’ lives difficult in the process, it would do a complete post-race teardown of those teams every single week for the rest of the year. And not only those two teams every week, but every other teams in the organization in NASCAR’s top three series for at least a month. Cup teams? Teardown every week. Truck teams?  If you got ‘em, they’re getting torn down every week. Every team, every week, until the lesson is learned.

There are two good reasons to do this: one, it’s a public reminder that this team didn’t think the playing field needed to be level under the rules — a scarlet letter that reminds everyone what the team did. The individual or individuals responsible wouldn’t be too popular with their teammates, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They might not do it again if they know it means a public shaming.

The second reason is simpler: pure inconvenience. The teams selected for teardown after each race have to stay later than the others, waiting on NASCAR to finish their thorough inspection. Not only is there public humiliation in being in that group because you didn’t play fair, but having to stay late every week until you pack up at Homestead would be a constant reminder of your infraction. And by the way, if you’re getting torn down because you cheated, and not because you were randomly selected, you get torn down last. Every week, the last to leave. 

The added bonus in this is that it would make it harder to bend the rules again, so if a team was gaining an advantage that way, it could kiss it goodbye. All in all, a win-win for everyone except the ones who shouldn’t be winning in the first place, because they tried to win the wrong way.

Overall, NASCAR gets an A-minus for the stiffness of the penalties handed down. Somehow, I feel more cheated as a fan than I did by a raising rear window or a loose oil reserve lid. Cheating on a test being run to ensure fairness seems like the ultimate thumbing of noses and I’m glad NASCAR agrees.