Cheating has been a part of NASCAR since 1949

The apparent winner of the first NASCAR race was disqualified for cheating. His name was Glenn Dunnaway, and his moonshine-hauling Ford had illegal rear springs at that 1949 dirt-track race in Charlotte. The victory went to Jim Roper, who drove a Lincoln from Kansas after reading about NASCAR in the “Smilin’ Jack" comic strip.

NASCAR drivers (and teams) have been cheating ever since.

In 1965, Junior Johnson built an illegal Ford for Fred Lorenzen. It easily cleared tech because NASCAR needed it to help draw fans. NASCAR caught A.J. Foyt and Darrell Waltrip with nitrous oxide in 1976 Daytona 500 qualifying. Hoss Ellington once tried to beat inspectors with a device that bypassed the restrictor plate. Roger Penske and Bobby Allison were caught at Riverside with roller tappets in their Matador. Richard Petty’s 198th victory at Charlotte featured an oversized engine and illegal tires. Ray Evernham was fined $60,000 for an “unapproved" suspension part for Jeff Gordon in an exhibition race at Charlotte.

So the recent spate of cheating during Speed Week wasn’t unusual. More at AutoWeek