That’s got to be a curse and a blessing for Edwards. It’s a curse because few people are talking about Edwards’ fifth win this year, and the likelihood that he will present the greatest challenge to Kyle Busch’s Cup quest. Why is the ‘Magnetic Charge’ a blessing to Edwards? Because no one’s mentioning the ‘oil lid scandal’ in Las Vegas as a big deal anymore. In fact, a loose oil lid seems like such a minor infraction, one that most believe could theoretically have been an accident, compared to an obvious, blatant attempt to fool NASCAR testing and inspection procedures. Could an oil lid cover become loose during the course of a race? Sure. Can magnets magically appear underneath gas pedals as the result of miles and miles of racing? No chance.

NASCAR says all signs point to the Joe Gibbs Nationwide program as cheaters. If that’s not incriminating enough, all compass hands point in that direction as well. Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs insisted that he nor his father had any prior knowledge of the Nationwide crews’ intent to pull a fast one on NASCAR. What’s this? The Gibbs fellows only make the legal decisions for the teams? I don’t buy it. So winning is a team effort, but cheating is not? Would the Gibbs have better luck trying to fool a polygraph? I’d sooner believe Joe and J.D. were members of the Bee Gees than I would that they had no knowledge of the scam.

And what of Stewart and Logano? Did they have knowledge of the subterfuge? Regardless of whether they did or not, they’ll suffer. Not only will their reputations be dogged by the cheating stigma for some time, they’ll also take a big points hit when NASCAR drops the hammer (also attracted to magnets) and announces penalties. That will take a magnetic toll on Stewart and Logano’s Nationwide points totals, and leave them in a magnetic hole.

And, will the cloud hanging over the Gibbs Nationwide squad have an effect on the Gibbs Sprint Cup program, most notably the #18 of Kyle Busch? Will NASCAR now place a keener eye on Busch’s car, which has been often dominant, and always competitive? It’s unlikely NASCAR will admit to such, but I’ve got a feeling that the next time Busch’s car is inspected, NASCAR will leave no stone unturned. Does NASCAR employ a K-9 unit to sniff out infractions? Maybe they should. Are race cars subject to a humiliating cavity search?