The 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, “There are no facts, only interpretations.” Intellectuals may debate whether or not his philosophy predicted the conditions of the 20th (or 21st) century for, well, centuries. There is one place, however, where his line of thought regarding facts and interpretations definitely applies – NASCAR, throughout its history.
Conspiracy theories tend to arise when the facts of any given situation are not entirely present for viewing. Sports, in general, lend themselves to conspiracy theories. Fans usually have a favorite team or player. Die-hard fans will always look for ways in which their favorite team or player is being treated unfairly within the competition. Even casual fans can begin to believe in a conspiracy theory, due to a lack of access to information beyond what is being officially presented. For example, the referee could be gambling on the game. The baseball player could be using steroids. The boxer or fighter could be taking a dive. The umpire could be biased. NASCAR is no different; if anything, it is more prone to cultivate conspiracy theories than other sports.
NASCAR and conspiracy theories have a long history together. It can be seen in something as simple as competitors accusing other competitors of “cheating,” or in the seemingly (or not so seemingly) random debris cautions that were more commonly littered throughout races prior to the advent of stage racing. One can even find it in the sanctioning body’s handing down of penalties that range from the older (but just as vague) “actions detrimental to stock car racing” to the newer “illegal modification of a single source part.”
Conspiracy theories pop up within the NASCAR universe just about every year – the most recent have emerged during the past week. After the Talladega playoff race, NASCAR randomly chose two cars for post race inspection – the 4 car and the 19 car, the drivers of which have been critical of the “next gen” car. The driver of the 4 car, Kevin Harvick, has clearly been the more vocal of the two. Harvick has been very open about his distaste for the car’s single source parts, the inability of teams to legally improve these parts, and the lack of driver safety that comes with the new car (and its “crappy a** parts”). He has been particularly vocal about how slow NASCAR has been to fix these safety concerns, and that the teams could correct many of these issues if the sanctioning body would grant them the ability to do so. Martin Truex’s car passed post race inspection. Kevin Harvick’s did not.
Did the 4 team break the rule? I have no idea. Did NASCAR try to send a message to Harvick regarding his complaints about single source parts? Again, I have no idea. Was the selection for post race inspection random? I have no idea, because I don’t have the observable facts in front of me. All I have, and all any member of the audience has, is two different interpretations of the facts being reported to us via media and social media. In a sense, one has to consider the reputation of the forces involved, as well as their intentions or motives. Rodney Childers has a reputation for being great at bending rules. Kevin Harvick likes to win. The sanctioning body also has certain desires. They want parity and the ratings they assume it will bring. They also have a certain reputation regarding how they go about getting what they want, though. Just look at the most recent race at the Charlotte Roval – specifically, the final two debris cautions.
Older fans of the sport remember the days when NASCAR used to openly operate as a somewhat closed-off, authoritarian sanctioning body. It was clear that if you crossed them, you would be in trouble – depending on who you were, of course. Just ask Kyle Petty, whose car owner once had his paint scheme changed to resemble Dale Earnhardt’s paint scheme in protest. These days they seem to be trying to shed that image. NASCAR leadership has been quick to respond to concerns, at least verbally, through media and social media. They actually met with the driver of the 11 car, Denny Hamlin, after he repeated Harvick’s call for new leadership after the Cook Out Southern 500. Hamlin backed down from his statement after that meeting, which is problematic for NASCAR, if they are trying to avoid suspicion from fans.
Not all conspiracy theories are created equal. Some are much more believable than others. After this most recent race, NASCAR announced they were investigating Cole Custer’s actions during the closing laps of the Charlotte Roval race; specifically, they were looking at whether or not Custer was “attempting to manipulate the outcome of a race.” That is, technically, a conspiracy theory, albeit one that is being investigated by NASCAR. It makes sense that Custer would attempt to block other cars to help out his Stewart-Haas teammate, Chase Briscoe.
Team orders and “lending a hand” to teammates have become common in this playoff format. Whether it is Erik Jones not trying to pass his then teammate, Denny Hamlin at Martinsville in 2020, Chase Elliot announcing his intentions prior to blocking Kevin Harvick in the Bristol night race in 2021, or Cole Custer brake-checking a few cars at the Charlotte Roval in 2022, teammates helping each other out in this format has become commonplace. As long as we have this playoff system, and as long as NASCAR keeps the rules about “attempting to manipulate the outcome of a race,” conspiracy theories regarding it will continue to form. Regardless of what they find (or who they fine), it is reasonable to assume that Custer was attempting to help out Briscoe. Not that there is anything wrong with that, other than the vaguely worded previously mentioned rule.
NASCAR’s rules are often vague, and this allows the sanctioning body some wiggle room in enforcing them. It is their series. It is totally within their rights to allow themselves some wiggle room. It is also totally within their rights to not be specific when they announce their penalties; however, if they don’t want to respond to “ridiculous” theories, then they may want to become more specific in their communications regarding penalties, more consistent with their rulings (and throwing of caution flags), and more transparent in their processes. It won’t matter what Kevin Harvick or Rodney Childers tweets after a penalty if NASCAR makes public the specifics of the infraction. Debris cautions won’t seem so conspiratorial (for lack of a better word) if cautions are thrown consistently. For example, if cars can have what appears to be a demolition derby in turn one and not get a caution, then why is a sign, or a turtle shell, for that matter, reason for a caution? You have to see that some conspiracy theorists have valid points, or at least valid questions.
The bigger question in all of this: Does NASCAR actually want an end to these conspiracy theories, or do they possibly see it as another route for its fans to engage with the sport? If the former is the case, they’re going about it all wrong. If the latter is the case, I have to admit they’re handling it brilliantly.
As for the truth on this matter… all we have are our interpretations.
