BRISTOL, Tenn. — There is a growing feeling in the NASCAR community that Joe Gibbs Racing got off extremely easy in the “Magnet-Gate” episode.

If it did, though, NASCAR has a couple of reasons, which we’ll get to in a minute. First, the facts. There is no questioning the evidence: Magnets were found attached to the bottom of the accelerators in Gibbs’ two Nationwide Series cars at a dynometer test after their race at Michigan. They were there to keep the gas pedal from going to the floor, reducing the horsepower the engines would produce for the test.

This is not an unapproved rear bracket or questionable spring or anything remotely vague. This was cheating, so clear that Joe Gibbs himself issed one of the most contrite apolgies in NASCAR history.

“We take full responsibility and accept the penalties NASCAR has levied against us today,” the owner said this past week after NASCAR levied a monetary fine of $200,000 and the loss of 150 owner points for the No. 20 and 18 teams.

“In 17 years we have never had any representative of Joe Gibbs Racing knowingly act outside of NASCAR’s rules, and that is something we consider essential to how we operate on a daily basis. What we have determined is that these individuals involved used extremely poor judgment in attempting to alter the results of NASCAR’s dyno test.”

Gibbs took responsibility, but he insisted that neither he or his son, JGR president J.D. Gibbs, had any idea what was going on. Here’s where NASCAR decided to take a longer look before levying its penalties. Anyone who remotely knows Joe Gibbs understands the man is incapable of knowingly cheating. He’s just not built that way.

With no history of JGR cheating, NASCAR elected not to park the Gibbs cars, a move many are saying was called for. The points penalties mean very little since drivers Tony Stewart and Joey Logano aren’t going for the championship. Even with the penalty, the No. 20 team has a solid lead in the owner’s championship race.

With many other teams, it’s believed NASCAR would have parked the cars, and it would have been justified. Though the last thing NASCAR wants to do is anger its sponsors by parking cars, many feel that’s the only way teams will get the message that cheating won’t be tolerated. If it happens again at JGR, surely there would be no hesitation to drop the hammer.

There is another reason NASCAR likely held back, and that’s because the ruling body created this monster and has to absorb some sort of blame. NASCAR gave Toyota leeway in building its new engines that it did not allow the other manufacturers — to help get Toyota up to speed.

However, after JGR cars won 13 of the first 21 races on the Nationwide schedule, NASCAR decided that Toyota teams had to use a spacer that cut 15 horsepower from their engines.

Ford and Chevy owers still complained that the Toyotas had an advantage, so NASCAR scheduled another test after Michigan. The Gibbs’ teams, knowing they were going to be tested, tried to cover up that advantage and got caught.

But is this the end of it? Is this just a Nationwide Series issue? Conspiracy theorists are already saying the order to cheat came from high-ranking Toyota Racing officials in trying to keep NASCAR from investigating the Sprint Cup teams.

At the very least, the scandal has scarred Joe Gibbs’ reputation. He didn’t know about the cheating, but he also obviously hasn’t made it clear that such actions are not acceptable with his employees. He’s taken his punishment, accepted the blame and made the promise that it will never happen again.

He may have gotten off easy, but it was the right decision. For now.