“If you don’t cheat, you look like an idiot; if you cheat and don’t get caught, you look like a hero; if you cheat and get caught, you look like a dope,” said Darrell Waltrip. For decades, teams have pushed the envelope, exploiting gray areas in the rulebook to gain an advantage. Some innovations were later deemed illegal, while others changed the game forever.
One such moment came in 2012 when Roger Penske’s team found a loophole in the rear suspension setup, helping Brad Keselowski clinch his first Cup Series championship. Though not illegal at the time, the controversy led to NASCAR tightening regulations—an all-too-familiar pattern in the sport.
Fast forward to 2025, and NASCAR has taken an even stranger step: censoring brakes during pit stops. Fans were quick to speculate that this bizarre move stemmed from teams once again finding ways to skirt the rules, forcing NASCAR to act.
The controversy surrounding Roger Penske and Brad Keselowski’s 2012 championship victory remains one of NASCAR’s most debated topics. While never deemed illegal at the time, Penske’s team reportedly mastered a rear suspension setup that provided Keselowski’s No. 2 car with an aerodynamic advantage. The trick? A rear-end housing setup that altered the car’s skew to increase cornering speed, a loophole in NASCAR’s rulebook at the time.
Brad Keselowski and Roger Penske | Image Credits: Imago
However, the origins of this setup remain murky. There was speculation that Hendrick Motorsports had initially pioneered this rear suspension innovation, with Penske later refining and optimizing it for competitive advantage. Whether Penske discovered it independently or adapted an existing innovation remains a matter of speculation. Regardless, NASCAR soon caught on and revised its rules to eliminate the loophole.
NASCAR’s history is dotted with instances where teams have pushed the boundaries of the rulebook. A notable example is the 1983 incident involving Richard Petty at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Petty’s car was found with an engine significantly larger than the allowed 358 cubic inches and mismatched tires—a clear violation of NASCAR regulations. Despite these infractions, Petty was allowed to keep his victory but faced a $35,000 fine and a deduction of 104 points. This incident underscored the lengths teams would go to gain a competitive edge and the challenges NASCAR faced in enforcing its rules.
Fast forward to 2007, and Michael Waltrip’s team was embroiled in a scandal just before the Daytona 500. NASCAR inspectors discovered a suspicious substance in Waltrip’s intake manifold, identified as a property found in jet fuel. This blatant attempt to enhance performance led to indefinite suspensions for key crew members and a record $100,000 fine.
In response to these controversies and the ever-evolving ingenuity of teams, NASCAR introduced advanced technological measures to monitor pit road activities more stringently. By 2015, the organization had implemented a system utilizing 45 high-definition cameras to record every pit stop, aiming to detect and deter any potential infractions.
Seemingly, the decision to censor pit stops during broadcasts is a continuation of NASCAR’s efforts to uphold the sport’s integrity. By limiting the public and competitors’ real-time access to pit stop footage, NASCAR aims to prevent teams from analyzing and potentially replicating innovative strategies or borderline tactics observed during races. This measure seeks to ensure that any competitive advantage gained is a result of a team’s ingenuity and not the result of mimicking another’s potentially dubious methods.
Fans reason NASCAR’s pit stop censorship
While NASCAR’s decision to censor pit stops has sparked debate, fans have their own theories about why the change was made. Some see it as a necessary step to prevent teams from gaining an unfair advantage, while others argue it’s another example of NASCAR over-policing innovation.
One fan speculated, “Generally it’s only the teams that do it when they share their own footage. Usually it’s because they feel showing it would expose some competitive advantage they’ve gained. Junior talks about how Penske had figured out some trick with the rear truck arms in 2012, and that’s why Brad was kicking ass. Or Hendrick figured it out and Penske caught one, don’t remember which one. But that is something that would have benefitted from being blurred.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. alluded to this on his podcast, mentioning that while Hendrick had been developing a similar setup, Penske’s execution was more effective. This theory aligns with how teams have historically tried to guard their technological secrets—something that dates back to Penske’s 2012 rear suspension trick.
Another pointed out that this isn’t necessarily a NASCAR decision but rather teams protecting their own footage. “I think some of the components may be proprietary to either the team or manufacturer, so they blur it so other teams can’t see it and potentially copy from them.”
On the other hand, some argue that such secrecy is unnecessary, given that all suspension components are now standardized. “All suspension components are made from single-source manufacturers. So in other words, all parts for all teams are identical per NASCAR rules. Teams blur these because of suspension setups. There are threaded plates on the inside of each wheel housing, and you can manipulate your setup based on where you bolt your components on these threaded plates.”
NASCAR has long prioritized parity among teams to ensure fair competition. A key part of this approach is the standardization of car specifications. The introduction of the Next Gen car, powered by a 5.8-liter pushrod V8 engine, exemplifies this effort. All teams must adhere to these standardized specifications, including specific dimensions and power outputs. Typically, cars run at 670 horsepower, though certain tracks mandate a reduction to 510 horsepower to maintain safety and competitiveness.
Some fans believe the censorship is specifically targeting suspension setups. One fan explained, “It’s not about the brakes, it’s about the shocks and springs they don’t want you to see. If you don’t think other teams recon this stuff, they do. Teams have employees whose job it is to take photos and look at TV feeds to see if they can get intel from the other team, including those pit stop shots. When I work F1 and there’s a crash, I will have team photographers trying all they can to get photos of the opposition’s car the moment it goes off track, and if it goes up on a lift, they will do all they can to get under the car for photos of the undercarriage. Racecar espionage is a real thing LOL.”
To further ensure parity, NASCAR mandates that teams source components from single-source manufacturers, meaning all suspension components, among others, are identical across teams. Such measures are designed to prevent any one team from gaining an unfair advantage through specialized parts.
But perhaps the most pointed reaction comes from those frustrated with how much NASCAR has restricted teams in the Next Gen era. “Because they’re running out of stuff to manipulate.”
Whether pit stop censorship is a necessary move or just another step in NASCAR’s ongoing crackdown on innovation, one thing is certain—teams will always find ways to push the boundaries, and fans will always have something to say about it. What do you think is NASCAR going too far with pit stop censorship?
The post How Roger Penske’s Speculated Cheating Scandal Forced Rick Hendrick and NASCAR to Adopt Bizarre Measure, Fans Reason appeared first on EssentiallySports.