5 NASCAR conspiracy theories fans actually believe

Several incidents and races have sparked conspiracy theories over the years in NASCAR. Some question the legitimacy of Richard Petty's 200th victory in 1984 and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s amazing run during his first race at Daytona International Speedway after his father's death in 2001.

NASCAR intentionally penalizing Juan Pablo Montoya during the 2009 Brickyard 400 to favor popular drivers, Jimmie Johnson or Mark Martin, is another popular theory.

Here are five conspiracy theories that NASCAR fans actually believe.

#5 NASCAR helped the tire war

Neil Bonnett's 1988 Pontiac Excitement 400 win came after scoring indicated that he had finished a lap down. The Rockingham race was the debut of Hoosier Tires in the Cup Series and its first points win. NASCAR upheld his win, which led some fans to speculate that NASCAR intentionally set up the race to stir up the tire competition between Goodyear and Hoosier.

#4 Kevin Harvick's intentional damage during burnout

Kevin Harvick led 142 of 267 laps during the 2015 Kobalt 400 at Dover and made contact with the wall during his celebratory burnout. This incident led to speculation that the damage was intentional to complicate post-race inspections. Harvick's crew chief, Rodney Childers, dismissed these claims, suggesting that such burnouts were a common practice.

#3 Phantom caution at Auto Club 400

Kurt Busch appeared poised to win the 2015 Auto Club 400 but a late debris caution ruined his chances. The caution was called for a piece of metal between turns 3 and 4, but many viewers questioned its legitimacy as no visible hazard was present. Busch also implied that the caution was staged when he said "WWE" over the radio to his team.

#2 Rigged Daytona 500 pole sitters

Some fans believe that NASCAR predetermines the Daytona 500 pole sitter to generate compelling storylines for the season. Danica Patrick became the first woman to win the pole in 2013. However, it was her only one in 191 Cup starts and she later failed to qualify inside the top-10 during the summer race at superspeedway that same year.

Austin Dillon's 2014 pole marked the return of Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 car but he also only qualified outside the top-20 during the July race there that season.

Similarly, Jeff Gordon won a Daytona 500 pole after 16 years in 2015. It came following an announcement of his retirement and Chase Elliott's in 2016 continued his No. 24 legacy. Critics argue that these results were orchestrated to increase hype and media attention.

#1 Traction control in NASCAR

Some fans suspect that NASCAR found traction control devices but has kept them a secret. Jeff Gordon's Atlanta Motor Speedway win in 2003, when he managed to run the No. 24 car high in the corners without losing traction, is one incident that has raised many eyebrows.