Cheating accusations have long been par for the course in the high-octane realm of NASCAR racing. Moreover, with teams and drivers relentlessly pushing the envelope in the name of technology and innovation, it’s no wonder that the line between cutting-edge progress and bending the rules can often appear somewhat hazy.

For instance, consider the recent incident with Joe Gibbs Racing. One of their cars, the #20 Toyota,  caught fire right after scoring a win at the Martinsville Speedway. This unexpected event led to rampant speculation of cheating among fans, who took to social media to voice their concerns and theories.

During the celebration, the 25-year-old John Hunter Nemechek brought his car to the front stretch to perform the time-honored burnout.

However, things took an unexpected turn when the rear left tire of Nemechek’s car suddenly ignited. The fire quickly spread to other car components and even a section of the racetrack itself.

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NASCAR fans dump the blame on Joe Gibbs accusing him of cheating

As the news of the fiery incident spread, accusations targeting Joe Gibbs Racing started to gain traction among the fanbase. Moreover, observant fans pointed out that by burning the car down, the JGR driver left little for the authorities to examine, thereby potentially allowing the team to evade any consequences.

That is of course if that had any intention of cheating to being with. However, this line of reasoning led to further speculation that the dramatic conflagration with Joe Gibbs‘s Xfinity car might have been a calculated move to cover up any potential rule violations.

Some fans even highlighted how they would fail the inspection since the car had burned down. Therefore, saving themselves from NASCAR finding anything to penalize them for.