Like most fans, I sometimes wonder if NASCAR’s penalties are effective. Do they, in fact, appropriately punish the offenders and curb the rise of, uh, crime?

I can recall a time in years past when NASCAR’s rulings were about as effective as a butter knife cutting hard cardboard. A punishment was little more than a slap on the wrist.

Oh, there were exceptions, of course. There was the time in late ‘70s when, after a wreck at Darlington, the entire side of D.K. Ulrich’s Chevrolet was stripped away. Revealed to all was a hidden nitrous oxide (laughing gas) bottle, obviously illegal. Ulrich was suspended for the final 12 races of the season.

Talk about a huge financial hit – Ulrich’s season wages plopped him at the poverty line.

There are other examples of NASCAR heavy-handedness but for the most part, NASCAR’s penalties were inconspicuous. A small fine here; probation there. Seldom were points taken away.

That changed fairly recently. When NASCAR introduced what was once known as the “car of tomorrow,” it made it very clear that the rules that applied to it, which were very strenuous and demanding, would be fully enforced.

NASCAR had prepared the car to its own standards, which were set to make it the safest, and most equal in performance, than had ever entered the sanctioning body’s Cup circuit.

It wasn’t going to let innovative engineers, crew chiefs, engineers or anyone else fool around with it.

Not that to do so was easy. The rules were so stringent whatever “gray area” the creative types found was small, indeed.

But find it they did – and then they tried to push their way around it.

When they did and got caught, NASCAR’s penalties were hardly inconspicuous. They grew into near death sentences.

Fines, probations, loss of points and even suspensions all became part of the legal process – and subsequently grew.

Fines of $25,000 grew to $50,000 and then $100,000. Point losses, for the drivers and owners, numbered in the hundreds. Probations didn’t last days or months, they remained in force for the remainder of a season. Offenders, mostly crew chiefs, were suspended for six weeks or more.

As a result of all this, among other things, it’s my thinking that what occurs in the garage area at each track is probably more sanitized now than it ever has been.

I just don’t think teams want to mess around with their cars knowing that they could receive punishments that, by golly, actually have a very, very negative impact. Why tempt fate?

But this is all about technology. It’s not about behavior and conduct – a couple of other things that fall under NASCAR scrutiny.

There was a time, not long ago, when NASCAR was just as harsh on its drivers as it was how teams treated the car.

Stiff penalties were handed down for swearing and antagonistic behavior (especially on TV), confrontations and even criticism of NASCAR.

As a result, drivers went into a shell. If by being themselves they incurred NASCAR’s wrath, well, the best thing to do was to be someone else.

All these “someone else” types turned out to be the same – mostly boring, colorless and devoid of singular personalities.

Fans didn’t like that. They were always told NASCAR’s history was littered with characters. Well, where did they go?

As you well know, NASCAR responded by telling us that racing was a contact sport. It told us that it wanted the drivers to settle issues among themselves. It told us it didn’t want to police behavior unless it absolutely had to do so.

Fair enough. And in my opinion, NASCAR is doing a darn good job of keeping its nose out of things. Yes, it meets with errant drivers behind closed doors but you don’t see it drag them away by their collars, and in irons, from the track.

Just an opinion here, but if indeed Ryan Newman took a poke at Juan Pablo Montoya in the NASCAR hauler during the Darlington meeting, there was a time when the sanctioning body would have punished Newman – even though the public didn’t see him do a thing.

Of course it did no such thing this time.

Which brings us to Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. You remember these guys – ol’ Heckle and Jeckel at Darlington?

Their post-race altercation did draw punishment from NASCAR. Both were fined $25,000 and placed on four-race probation.

It sounds like an almost meaningless judgment but it was done for one reason.

If the two had dealt solely with each other, even through physical contact, NASCAR would have done nothing.

Instead, Harvick left his car to take a shove at Busch, who was still sitting in his.

Busch took off, struck Harvick’s abandoned car, sent it across pit road and into the inside pit wall. The car missed several people and, most fortunately, did not pin anyone against the concrete.

But it could have easily done both. And therein lies the big difference.

When the actions of two drivers involve a danger to the safety and welfare of others, NASCAR has to abandon the “boys have at it” philosophy. It must act.

Given that Harvick left his car unattended to start the fray, I at first felt certain NASCAR would more severely punish him, and I thought it should.

But that would not have been fair. Both men played a role in the creation of the situation and warranted punishment.

As said the punishment is, at best, minor. But I think NASCAR did the right thing if for no other reason than it wants to convey to Busch and Harvick, and other drivers, just where it will draw the line when it comes to “boys, have at it.”

I’m not sure the next offenders, should there be any, will get off so easily.