Section 12-4-A
If you read the fine print of NASCAR's smack down this week of Ricky Rudd, Robby Gordon and a bunch of other drivers and crew chiefs, you'll notice this odd little notation throughout: "(fill in the blank) was in violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing)."
That "actions detrimental" clause is pretty vague. So I figured I'll track down the NASCAR rulebook and see exactly what infamous Rule 12-4-A says.
That was a big fat waste of a morning. Rule 12-4-A is cited all over the place (google it if you don't believe me). But I could find no evidence of a NASCAR rulebook at nascar.com or at NASCAR's not-for-public-consuption media site. Not even Jayski,
If there's a rulebook out there anywhere, someone out there please let me know. I suspect only one copy of it exists, and it's probably locked in a briefcase chained to Brian France's wrist at all times, even when he's sleeping.
Others doubt it even exists. The old joke is that NASCAR's rules are written in pencil. Or as Speed TV commentator Ben Blake wrote last year, there's only this: Rule 1: It's what we say it is.
UPDATE (6:25 p.m. Fri.): Andy Kondratick over at race2win.net seems to have had the same problem I did.