10 from '08: Tony Stewart's Talladega Gift

It's a rare feat in NASCAR racing to actually cross the finish line first with the checkered flag waving and not be awarded the race winner's trophy.

A rare feat, of course, until you toss in a set of rules that don't even get the judgment-call benefit of the doubt like a foul in basketball or a strike in baseball.

But that's exactly what happened to Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s rookie driver Regan Smith in October at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith, driving the No. 01, passed Tony Stewart while driving under the painted yellow line 300 yards from the finish, but was declared to have finished 17th while Stewart celebrated his lone win of 2008.

Whaaaaa?

NASCAR has somewhat enforced a rule for many years to curb dangerous passes out of the groove at its two restrictor plate tracks -- Daytona and Talladega -- by saying a car must yield a gained position or it will be forced to make a pit stop if a driver advances position while below the "out of bounds," or yellow, line.

There's no argument that Smith didn't go under the line (you can watch the video for yourself in a moment) but there is a solid argument that NASCAR's discretion in making the call is entirely too flawed.

Exceptions to the rule have often been made in the past for a car getting forced by the car that is getting passed after starting to make a legitimate move (see: Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003) and drivers have often received a warning for an infraction before a penalty is given. And, prior to Talladega in October, most drivers knew the unwritten rule that anything goes with the checkered flag waving the air.

That all went out the window for Regan Smith.

Was it because it was Regan Smith, a nobody who wouldn't be a noticeable name in newspapers the next day? Or was it because Tony Stewart had been so stymied at Talladega and in 2008 -- winless to that point in both -- was looking to leave his storied run at Joe Gibbs Racing with a 'W' in his pocket?

Whatever it was, it still doesn't seem fair to me, but it was definitely one of NASCAR season's most memorable moments.