So, how does the other half live? Mostly, their lives and careers are used as examples what might (but not likely) happen to the big dogs. Remember back in 2009 when Carl Long was thrown completely under the bus for an "oversize" engine at the All-Star event.....

From Fox News:

Carl Long can't pay $200,000 fine to NASCAR but unlike Hamlin can't continue to race

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/03/16/carl-long-cant-pay-200000-fine-to-nascar-but-unlike-hamlin-cant-continue-to/#ixzz2NuR8BEfv

and from the "Sporting News"

BRISTOL, Tenn. Carl Long, who hasnt raced in Sprint Cup since earning one of NASCARs harshest penalties in 2009, wishes he could be like Denny Hamlin and have his fine deducted from his race winnings.

Unfortunately for Long, there are few races where he would be guaranteed to earn $200,000 for winning a race.

Carl Long wishes he had gotten Denny Hamlin treatment for his $200,000 fine in 2009. (AP Photo)

MORE: Hamlin appeal | Drivers react to Hamlin fine | Did NASCAR overreact?

Long was fined a record $200,000 in May 2009 for having an engine that was 0.17 cubic inches over the regulation size during practice for the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Only the Daytona 500 has a purse where the last-place finisher could earn that much money, and that would be the bulk of the winnings. So its not feasible for Long to pursue the same avenue as Hamlin, who recently refused to pay his $25,000 fine and is forcing NASCAR to garnish his winnings.

Longs crew chief was assessed the fine, but since it wasnt paid, NASCAR put the burden on the team owner (Longs wife) and then eventually on Long himself since the team no longer attempted to race.

Transferring the fine to Long is within NASCAR rules, which allow for the deduction of fines from the purse of a driver or team owner. The rule would keep a team from firing a crew chief in hopes of not paying the fine.

Before his team shut down, Long said NASCAR offered to allow him to pay somewhere between $12,000-$16,000 a race to enter an event, pushing the entry fee to close to $25,000 a race.

He said the fine soured his sponsor on the sport and possibly ended his Cup driving career after 23 starts in the series.

Long still wants to race in Cup he can race and work in the Nationwide Series but has been banned from the Cup garage since the start of 2012 when he was asked to leave the Cup area at Daytona and still talks to potential sponsors about possibly paying the fine.

The first thing that I tell them is look, You give me a million and a half dollars, two million dollars to run the Nationwide Series and run a couple of Cup races, and the first thing well do is well take $200,000, make a press release, give the NASCAR Foundation a $200,000 check and youll make all the sports pages across the United States, Long said Friday.

Theyre the good guys that clean the slate and let me go race.

Fans who sent money for him to pay his fine contributed nearly $20,000, which Long offered to return or use to cover expenses for the Showdown race.

Long said hell clear about $35,000 from working as a mechanic and driver in the Nationwide Series this year. He is working at the shop, as a part-time crew chief and hauler driver for Rick Ware Racing. Occasionally, hell drive, possibly even next week at Auto Club Speedway.

I cant offer myself to a Cup team to make more money because I cant go with them to the racetrack, Long said.

Long said that people see him in the Nationwide garage and think hes paid the fine or that its been waived.

People keep seeing me here and theyre like, Did NASCAR just drop it and wipe it under (the rug?) Long said.

Theyve been pretty strong about their (feeling) that, You owe us money.

Thanks, Bobby. NASCAR wasn't nearly as concerned with the size of RJR's favorite car owner, Junior Johnson's engine when DW detonated it after crossing the line to win the first "All Star" event, The Winston in 1985.

"Fairness" has long been doled out according to who you are and what you bring to the party.

$200,000 for being .17 C.I. over the limit.???? Talk about extreme measures. unfair to the max.

I was just reading 2009 news coverage of Long's appeal to NASCAR and noted that the last car before Long's found with a "big" engine was, of all people, Junior Johnson, lol!

And Long was also suspended for 12 races, even if he had paid the fine.

And car owner, Bob Jenkins goes merrily along? Wow! Talk about not fair.

From 2009 Associated Press Coverage of Carl Long Appeal:

Although the National Stock Car Racing Commission said it was tempting to give Carl Long and his crew chief penalties they could "more-readily bear," the driver's appeal was denied Tuesday.

Long was penalized for having an oversized engine at Lowe's Motor Speedway last month. Long and his wife, car owner DeeDee Long, were suspended 12 races and docked 200 points. Crew chief Charles Swing was fined US$200,000. All are NASCAR records.

Long appealed in hopes of leniency for his part-time, low-budget team. He got some relief, but not quite what he was looking for.

"I'm truly disappointed in NASCAR," Long told The Associated Press. "The sport I love and grew a part of has really given me a sour taste in my mouth."

The commission isolated Long's suspension to the Sprint Cup Series, meaning he can find work in one of the sanctioning body's lower levels. The problem with that, though, is Long's full-time job is working with the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Chevrolet in the Cup series.

Long said team owner Bob Jenkins was working on a solution.

Although the commission suggested that the fine might not fall to Long if Swing can't pay it, Long believes NASCAR will eventually hold him responsible for the $200,000.

Long, who made 23 races between 2000 and 2006, bought the engine from longtime builder Ernie Elliott and said all the paperwork showed it was within NASCAR specifications. It malfunctioned May 15 during practice for the all-star race, prompting NASCAR's inspection.

Had Long suspected the engine was illegal, he could have loaded up his car and gone home instead of turning the engine over to inspectors and trying to qualify for the non-points race with a backup motor.

NASCAR measured the engine at 358.17 cubic inches, 0.17 more than the legal limit.

Long argued Tuesday that the infraction may have been due to an error on the part of the engine builder or expansion due to overheating or general wear and tear on the engine. He also made it clear he was incapable of bearing the suspension and hefty fine.

NASCAR countered that an oversized engine is one of the most egregious of rules violations and warrants the harshest of penalties.

The commission sided with NASCAR, saying the race team is ultimately responsible for all components on the race car, including any supplied by third-party vendors.

"While it is tempting to consider penalties that this driver and team can more-readily bear, the sport would not be well served by having a sliding scale of penalties calibrated to a given team or member's resources," the commission said. "Penalties of this magnitude for this type of infraction are warranted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series."

It was the first oversized engine NASCAR had found since car owner Junior Johnson and crew chief Tim Brewer were suspended 12 weeks for violations at Charlotte in 1991. Their suspensions were reduced to four weeks on appeal.

Long was hoping for a similar reduction.

"I had a feeling that some stuff was gonna be changed," Long said. "That's what I was expecting. But they're being bullies, big bullies."

Long could appeal again, taking his case to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner, Charles Strang. Long hasn't decided his next step.

"If it works just like it did in this one, then it's a waste of time," Long said.

This has to be the biggest and dumbass thing EVER in NASCAR! OR next to it!

Like the one push-rod deal in the M-1 Buick in Daytona Beach race in '53(?).

I had been wondering whatever happen to this deal.

i remember them fining carl long i dont think it was right i think back to the kings big engine and the right side tires being on the left side i dont remember what penalty was but i dont think it was any where near 200 grand dk ulrich was caught with a large engine and was baned the remainder of the year petty kept the win and lost points

Remember the wreck DK had on the backstretch at Darlington in the 1978 Southern 500 that peeled the driver's door sheet metal off exposing a nitrous oxider container hidden in the door? That one resulted in a suspension for the remainder of the 1978 season. Can't remember if there was also a monetary fine.

On the subject of nitrous oxide and the penalties for using it, this excerpt from Bleacher Report shows how different the penalty was for DK than the one imposed on AJ Foyt and Darrell Waltrip. Who you are and how NASCAR wants to use you to promote the product have always been part of the deal. Certainly nothing fair here compared to DK's suspension from Labor Day to the end of the season.

The 1976 Daytona 500 started out with NASCAR disallowing the speeds of the three fastest qualifiers for the Daytona 500, leaving unheralded Ramo Stott on the pole. A.J. Foyt, Darrell Waltrip, and Dave Marcis had to re-qualify for the race after NASCAR officials found evidence that Foyt and Waltrip used nitrous oxide (so-called laughing gas) to enhance the performance of the engines and add horsepower.

Waltrip admitted concealing his bottle of nitrous oxide, but Foyt was furious at NASCAR's decision. He was seen angrily lecturing NASCAR president Bill France Jr. before Bill France Sr. showed up. France Sr. had retired in 1972, but he still was rough and tough "Big Bill" to everyone in the garage area. Few people had the guts to confront Foyt one-on-one, but France Sr. was one of them. When Foyt and France Sr. walked out from behind closed doors, France had his arm around Foyt's neck and Foyt was saying, "Yes, sir, Mr. France." Dave Marcis, the third-fastest qualifier, also had his lap disqualified, in his case because of an illegal blockage of the radiator.

This makes me ill all over again. This is another example of NASCAR being in the wrong. And, Mr. Bell, I am NOT a NASCAR hater. I like to think I'm one who believes in fair play across the board for all parties. What was done to Carl Long makes absolutely no sense under any circumstance. It is injustice in its purest form.

Has anyone noticed how D.W. brags, to excess, about how he cheated his entire career, first with one thing, then another, and now acts as though that was the greatest of all achievements for him, that he could beat the system. Just listen to the braggart when he talks about that exploding engine or the lead pellets he would release on the track. Yet the esteem D.W. gets to make fools of broadcasters with his antics in the booth every race on FOX. He degrades the images of Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons and others who did great jobs up there. Yet, NASCAR and FOX allows him to continue. I'm sure D.W. has redeeming value at some level, but it is not in the broadcast booth. As for the other Waltrip, I'm not sure he has any redeeming value.

Hope these statements don't violate the ROEs. I'm sure if they do, immediate removal will be forthcoming.

This is another example why I sport NOTHING with the symbol NASCAR on it, along with the fact that it is now embarrassing to be seen as supporting this dictatorship...Love racing but don't care for where the cup car racing has been led..Kinda like war, days upon days of boredom with about 30 seconds of excitement...Not enough return for my time...It always was about the Saturday night local short tracks and for me it still is!Carl Long, B.T.W., we both know you DO NOT owe NASCAR jack squat, they just say you do...Only kicker here being is that the ball belongs to Big Brother and he is crying wah wah, with Carl doing the suffering...

From an outward looking inward viewpoint it seems as if NASCAR has an extremely hard one for Carl for some reason....C'mon King NASCAR let the man make a living doing what he does by George. Where was Andy Rooney when we really needed him?

William - as a high school boy in 1964, I remember my first NASCAR membership package came with two bumper stickers.

One bumper sticker read, "If You Want to Race, Daytona is the Place."

The other yellow bumper sticker read, "If You Want to Race Join NASCAR."

Perhaps you NASCAR members from that period remember those bumper stickers.

Dad very reluctantly let me put both bumper stickers on the rear of the family car. I was so proud to have those two bumper stickers displayed showing I was so cool and was a NASCAR member.

I can't imagine sporting that NASCAR sticker on my vehicle today.

Like you, William, my heart was always at the weekly track level and most of those Friday and Saturday night adventures far exceeded the racing I saw in the GN/Cup and Busch/Nationwide ranks.

I'm not sure it ever got any worse than having to listen to all those 6 cylinder Buicks navigate Dover during NASCAR's ill-fated experiment in the Busch Series some years back.

Lol. Dave, you sure brought back a memory I hadn't had in many years. There wasn't anything as annoying as a V-6 wound up to about 8500 rpm. Sounded like a sick swarm of bee's. Thanks for taking me back......

Dave, I still use a clipboard from my high school days, and like you, I had joined NASCAR andproudly emblazoned this clip board with thesupport racing join NASCARsticker that came in my membership packet. At the time, it was such a special sticker, I seriously and thoughtfully considered all the possible places I could affix it........finally choosing the clipboard ...so all my friends could see, and (hopefully) understand its significance. Also, like you, can't imagine all those gyrations today. Give me the Saturday night racers anytime, they were always my favorites. Still are.

Bill, see if this sounds familiar, lol?!

You are so right Bill, Dave did open a can of swarming bees with those V-6's..Inline 6's for me only and then only on short dirt tracks...Those v-6 Fischer engines from that time would really grate on you after a short while..Like 1 lap!

Dave, I do remember seeing those early stickers though I never had one...I would surely have been proud to have one in that time...My how that has changed...

Bobby, I will be seeing you over at Lakeview where they still throw down every lap and no one bides their time.

Thanks Dave! I made the mistake of listening JUST before dinner...lol...And William is so right, Nothing like an in-line Chevy 6 with short tubes on a dirt short track and wound up tight and riding the rim of the track....

Awesome!

doesanyone remember sterlin marlin qualifying hoss ellingtons bullseye chevy at daytona with the cool gas line and nascar dqd his time and made him requalify on second day time trials and sterlin set a track record

Charles, I do remember that deal. It was the Firecracker 400 in 1986. I had just moved to Orlando from Tampa and after he was fined ( $5,000 I believe) and re-qualified on Thursday and set the record of over 200 mph I decided to go over to the race. Very disappointed he never made the race because of ignition problems. Wonder what the fine would be in today's dollars. Was Sterling fined or was Hoss?

Hoss was fined 5,000 for that infraction...I was personally involved with the fabrication / installation of that particular cooler on that car,,,... It was in front of the radiator in the duct work and was found going through inspection for qualifying...An aluminum fitting that was painted flat black and was nearly invisible all of a sudden became a glowing white object that stood out like a sore thumb when the dry ice was put in the system. When the duct work was inspected it was found and Tim reached down and put his hand on it, his finger stuck and he of course wanted to know ''what the hell is that''? He called Runt over and asked that very question, to which Runt looked down at the offending part and replied ''damned if I know'' and walked off rolling his toothpick around in his mouth and shaking his head..We were Wrong and we were BUSTED! The car was disqualified from first day qualifying and had to go on the second day...Fastest qualifier of the whole weekend (pole speed) without the cooler and had to start 21st...Served us right I guess...Hoss did not even know it was on the car until it was discovered by Tim Black and Dick Beatty...When they hit him with the fine his reply was another classic Ellington one-liner, ''Hell I don't ever want to see another Ice cube, not even in my mixed drinks''! I do not ever remember another word ever being spoken about the fine or fiasco after that weekend...B.T.W. Sterling finished second and almost pulled off the win with Tim Richmond beating him on a late race caution restart...To remember it now it seemed even in that moment not to be a great big deal other than we were caught and some others had not been yet...The next week I think I remember Travis Carter's Skoal bunch getting caught with their illegal dump cans.

William, The best line I ever heard about bending the rules was from Richie Barzs. He was asked if all the stories about getting away with cheating were true. He just smiled and said "Everybody got their turn at bending the ruleswith Nascar looking the other way. The fun part was when you beat them and it wan't your turn."

William, I don't know Richie well but I have meet him a couple of times and you are right about his work, he is a master craftsman. He helped Tex Powell with the restoration of Benny Parson's '73 Chevy that he crashed at Rockingham the day he won the championship. Dad and I thought it was really cool that the same guys that rebuilt the car that day at Rockingham did the restoration on it. You could write a book about Richie's involement in racing and not just on stock cars, he was part of Ford's GT40 program.

Dennis, I've always felt that way too......"everybody got their turn at bending the rules with NASCAR looking the other way".

Brock Yates interviewed car owner Bud Moore for his 1972 book, SUNDAY DRIVER: The Writer Meets the Road - at 175 mph.

Brock asked Bud why it cost so much more to go NASCAR Grand National Racing than it cost Bud to field cars in the SCCA Trans-Am Series?

Answered Bud, "Cheating is expensive!"