Sports: Cheating, NASCAR and otherwise

The big story in racing, of course, is the firing of Waltrip's crew chief and team director. Now, I'm not a NASCAR fan or anything, but I do know the cars are fairly similar and they all have restrictor plates at Daytona, ostensibly so that the race is safer or more fair. I'm instantly reminded of Floyd Landis' tainted Tour de France win, and also the controversy swallowing up Barry Bonds. While the jury is still sorta-kinda-out in all three cases, it's safe to say not everything's up-and-up in the worlds of NASCAR, cycling, and baseball.

I sometimes wonder about what drives people to bend or break the rules. Is it that the money so grand, the stakes so high, that compels them to cheat? Or is it the same thing that made them competitive athletes in the first place - the need to win, to get that yellow jacket or that home run record, that does it?