Some NASCAR logic to go with your Sunday morning coffee and doughnut.

He who crosses the line first, wins.

Regardless of what other barriers his team must cross in order to arrive at that destination, including those found in the trusty rulebook.

You can say this for the guys and gals in Daytona Beach: At least they don’t limit common sense-starved decisions to their high-profile series.

A verdict endorsed by the big bosses makes our own Busch North Series this week’s laughingstock on the national racing scene.

Two weekends ago, former Busch North champion Brad Leighton, making a rare start for car owner Robert Torriere in his first season of “semi-retirement,” took the checkered flag in the New England 125 at New Hampshire Speedway.

Leighton had the privilege of winning a support race before the eyes and ears of NASCAR Winston Cup car owners and drivers, many of whom likely marveled that a part-timer could whip the week-to-week competition.

He stood in victory lane wearing all the sponsor hats, holding the big trophy and spraying champagne for the requisite photo that appeared in daily newspapers throughout New England, including this one.

All the while, his car was beginning a post-race inspection process that deemed it illegal. Unapproved carburetor boosters were the alleged violation.

None of which seems to matter in the grand scheme of things.

Oh, NASCAR announced the big penalty this week: a $1,000 fine for crew chief Peter Duto; a 50-point penalty for both Leighton and Torriere in the Busch North driver and owner point standings; and confiscation of the offending part.

What’s missing? Leighton gets to keep the win, and from all indications, the NHIS track championship along with it.

Let’s see.

That $1,000 won’t make much of a dent in the team’s coffers, since Leighton captured $14,350 for his “victory.”

And I’m sure the 50 points mean a lot to a part-time team that’s riding 28th in the standings.

Leighton otherwise enjoyed all the spoils of a win, his 21st on the circuit, placing him second behind Kelly Moore on the all-time list.

This isn’t a shot at Leighton, who never hid behind the fact that his crew did the work on the car while he stuck to the driving during his championship days with car owner Steve Griswold and chief wrench Brian Latuch. I’m sure Leighton had no idea what lurked under the hood of his new ride.

Nor do I believe the team should be cast as a bunch of dirty, rotten cheaters. Hey, they’re new, and every competitive team in every series from Winston Cup to go-karts practices creative interpretation of the rules from time to time.

The finger is pointed exclusively at NASCAR, which needs to get over the most ridiculous of unwritten rules.

Its policy: The car that the spectators saw cross the line first is the winner. People want to walk away to their vehicle knowing who won the race, NASCAR believes.

Oh, did they take an online poll?

Personally, I’m much happiest as a spectator when the guy who deserves to win the race is the winner, even if he has to be declared such in a technical inspection shack or a conference room.

Earlier this year, I attended a 100-lap Strictly Stock feature at Oxford Plains Speedway in which the top three drivers were eventually disqualified for various violations. I was tickled as could be for the apparent fourth-place finisher, even though I only heard about his victory two days later.

If a local track can do the right thing in an instance as trifling as a street stock marathon, why not NASCAR?

We know the organization isn’t that bound by tradition. If it were, next year’s Southern 500 still would be contested on Labor Day weekend, and there probably would be room on the Winston Cup schedule for a race at North Wilkesboro.

Those were good traditions. Allowing someone to win illegally is bad tradition, bad policy, bad business and bad logic.

It’s just bad.

Kalle Oakes is sports editor and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].