Harvick damaged car after race knowing it was illegal

Lying like a Cheshire Cat? Cheaters having always won in NASCAR

Kevin Harvick's victory celebration at Dover made some of his competitors wonder if the reigning Sprint Cup champion had something to hide. Many believe Harvick backed his car into the wall during his celebratory burnout perhaps in an intentional attempt to create damage to his Chevrolet that would limit NASCAR's ability to do a proper post-race inspection.

Harvick on Tuesday denied any knowledge of hitting the wall. "I did?" he asked. "I didn't even know." When told that a conspiracy was potentially brewing – and growing on social media – Harvick seemed unconcerned and chalked it up as competition doing "what they're supposed to do – they're supposed to try and create commotion."

"I don't actually remember hitting the wall," he said. "I remember the tires blowing out, but I don't know if I actually hit the wall. These things are hard to win and I enjoy celebrating, and I'm going to burn the tires off for sure."

Brad Keselowski said Tuesday it was "absolutely" common for drivers to intentionally damage their cars after a race. Denny Hamlin called on NASCAR to figure out a way to keep cars intact for the technical inspection that occurs after a car is returned to North Carolina for a thorough review at the research and development center. Keselowski said intentionally damaging the car is common and he has done it himself. NASCAR inspects several cars at the race track following a race, while three or so are brought back to North Carolina for a more detailed inspection.

"The cars aren't tech'd the same way at the track as they can be tech'd at the R&D Center," Keselowski said. "It's been going on for a long time. But I'm not making any accusations. I've definitely blown tires out. I think every driver has done things to do some kind of damage to their car." Associated Press