The culture of NASCAR and.a lot of racing is such that it is a given that teams are always pushing the boundaries as much as the can. There are the rules as written, and there is rules enforcement, which are separate. For instance, if the pit road speed limit is 45 MPH, and NASCAR let's it be known there is a 5 MPH tolerance, teams will go 50, then 51, then 52, until they are penalized. If a rule states 2 inches with an 1/8" tolerance, what is the rule in practice? If a rule states a part should remain rigid and not flex, teams will figure how much flex they can get away with. That's the game.
There are a bunch of possible real world analogies to explain. If I get away with speeding down the interstate every day for a month, but then get a speeding ticket for going 63 in a 55 the next day, that doesn't harm the credibility of the state patrol because I didn't get caught all of the other times.