The evolution of racing from those roots was a logical progression that embodied both the need for speed and a healthy disrespect for authority. You could do anything you wanted to do to the car. Johnson and his buddies incorporated the same enhancements on the racetrack that they used to outrun the law. Teams must decide whether cheating is worth the risk, both monetarily and from the standpoint of image-conscious sponsors. Owners such as Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske have made it clear to their teams that cheating is grounds for immediate dismissal.
Technology is the main difference from days gone by.
The teams have gotten smart, and the teams have acquired more engineers and people with formal education. Jeff Hammond, traded his toolbox this year for a microphone in the Fox Sports booth. There are just times that some teams achieve that faster than others. And people will say they're cheating. Well, they're not cheating, they're just creative.