Think of NASCAR and what’s the idea that pops in your head?Thatof stock cars going round in circles for several hours and many miles to fully filed terraces of devoted fan. Founded in 1948 by Bill France . The founder had a vision of luring fans and competitors to exhibit and promote better standardized racing on tracks. With this vision a professional sport with a huge avid fan base was born from an project many presumed to be a hobby.

NASCAR is now the second most popular professional sport events by television rating in the U.S.A and its 75 million fan base fill the ground than any other sports and make purchases over $ billion dollars annually in licensed products. Not forgetting the revenue stream from television broadcast rights. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, and other offices in North Carolina and New York City, Los Angeles and Arkansas

NASCAR sanctions and oversees about 1,500 races in a year in U.S, Mexico and Canada. It also directs and manages all aspects of public stock car racing which includes premier racing series, Busch, Craftsman’s track, and eight regional series. They oversee the number of races in a series, rules and regulations to be adhered to by the drivers and race teams, the tracks where the race event will be conducted and to what extent penalties are assessed when cheating happens. The marketing power enjoyed by NASCAR make it jurisdiction over other organization in the stock cars racing and tries to use this power prudently. Their primary focus in marketing is to promote the sport with due consideration of track owners and teams, to ensure financial security for all participants

Motivational factors that promote cheating in NASCAR

NASCAR plays a significant role in the local communities where it books races. In one occasion in Bristol, Tennessee, for example, race fans generated nearly $70 million into the local economy in four days events. The NASCAR brand name makes a good impact for local charities. At the same venue, the night before the big event a fund raiser for local children’s charities raised $ 10,000 in auctioneering only.

With all its deep rooted values, NASCAR have a negative side .Cheating in NASCAR has become a thorn in the flesh of authorities. The efforts to find a winning car by every team in the garages and pits working on their cars creates a humming type of sound. The inspections pre and post race always take place at the garages , where more attention and analysis is done on engineering and cheating. Innovations in stock cars have been noticed in both the garages and the tracks alike. Though the technology has profoundly advanced, the concept is the same

All cars go through the rigorous process of technological inspection, several times during each and every race. They are checked before the first practice, prior to qualifying, after qualifying if they win the pole, before the race  and after the race. The winner and other top five cars contenders, plus one or two randomly selected cars are all  evaluated  during the post race inspection process.

Today, Nascar uses templates and measuring techniques to detect these modern day cheats. Nascar inspectors confirm all the measurements including frame of the car, test car engine, mark  parts in order to ensure a level playing field for all the participants at each race. Cheating is not limited to one or two teams trying to outsmart the system, but all of them have developed this desire to find a way around the system

Pressure to meet organizational objectives plays a vital role in motivating employees to circumvent rules and regulations to meet goals. Employees of different organization are usually trained on illegal behaviors as part of their normal duties and authority. This tends to bend the imagination of the NASCAR drivers in the wrong path.

Organizational culture at NASCAR that contribute to unethical behavior

NASCAR absolute control over all stock races is subject to abuse, due to autonomy they enjoy by exerting a unprecedented decision, levies penalties and sometimes unilaterally revoke penalties already levied on a member. This culture of impunity by the NASCAR executives deems all the efforts being put to reduce this ancient habit by the participants

The company’s top directors and owners can promote ethical practices by example. In shedding the investment they have in the international speedway corporations, they will go a long way in proving that all racetrack owners have an equal opportunity to host the Nextel cup races. As at now the France family has an undue advantage over other track owners, due the synergistic relationship between NASCAR, and ISC which owns and manages 13 finest auto racing tracks used in Nextel cup races. Cross ownership  between Nascar and ISC promotes an atmosphere of unscrupulous and partisan competition, which doesn’t auger closely with its corporate strategy of fair play.

Rules can’t break cheating

Some participants strictly comply with the rules and regulations of NASCAR but take advantage of some, which are not prohibited. Many efforts by NASCAR to enforce strict compliance to their fuzzy rules and regulation have often failed substantially. The drivers and mechanics have always looked for ways to increase the speed and efficiency of their cars without being caught. This culture has been in existence for a long period of time and has not shown any sign of ending soon

The car owners, drivers, crew chiefs and teams collectively known as the garage people came up with shared benchmarks that relax the interpretation of rules. There exist an unwritten standards of behavior developed and enforced by this group, where a candid arrangement exists that no member of the group should interfere with rules commonly known  as  the big three, they include tires, fuel, or engine displacement. The members of the garage community agree that anything outside the big three as challengeable. The benchmark created by this group goes against every bit of NASCAR rules and this is enough justification why NASCAR has a long way to go as concerns eradicating cheating in the stock car races.

Inconsistency decision and procedural justice in races is one reason why the NASCAR rules can’t be used to determine the real winner in a race. By lacking standards for assessing, any effort on cheating by any participants greatly diminishes the moral of the sport. Procedural justice legal process demands that all violations be penalized in the same manner without considering the intentions of the participants .NASCAR is not known to adhere to these principles in making their judgments. Preferential treatment has also been reported in assigning these penalties

Methods to address cheating problems at NASCAR

Designing and enforcing an organizational code of conduct, based on a corporate model that can infuse an ethical thinking and behavior. Car owners and race team’s opinion should be taken into consideration while developing a code of conduct. Training individuals to instill the   spirit and the code of conduct.

Ethical leadership:-Encouraging NASCAR original owners and senior managers to develop just manner leadership style. It’s always said that leadership starts from the top, NASCAR is not excluded, and the owners must confirm their behavior present noble virtues of honesty, integrity, self respect and integrity.

Change of guard, especially the vice president of competition Robin Pemberton, who was a former crew chief before his stint at NASCAR. His incumbency is riddled with cheating allegations, and is known for being vague in enforcing the rules and regulations thus sending negative signal to the drivers and the car crews alike.

Rules are always the first step towards solving a problem. Inconsistency and equity in this sport will be addressed by changing of rules. By simplifying the rules, innovation will be greatly enhanced and structural changes to procedural fairness which has always been a well kept secret,

Action towards the creation of an ethical community by the NASCAR executives is a step in the right direction in eradicating cheating and unethical behaviors. Formulating a code of conduct, programs of consistently employed rules and programmatic fair play, reinvigorated approach to creativeness, prospects of significant increase in devoted fan base and sponsors integration in assenting to this adjustments