Trouble in Turn2

Former NASCAR truck driver Aaron Fike admitted he was using heroin prior to races he drove in. His concern now is that NASCAR can’t detect every instance where someone is using drugs. Fike is exactly right. The current drug policy consists of the NASCAR officials administering tests based solely on their suspicion.

The fact that NASCAR’s drug policy is essentially anecdotal means people will slip through the cracks. Fike apparently did. How long could he have raced while high had it not been for his arrest? If a black tar heroin user can escape NASCAR’s radar, what else slips through? NASCAR officials aren’t drug experts, nor are they expected to be. Instead they need to pass the responsibility to the experts and implement a comprehensive drug testing policy.

I have no inside connections in the NASCAR garage, I’m simply posing a question. Seeing what has happened in other sports, it’s not impossible to imagine similar things in NASCAR. Obviously steroids and HGH offer little advantage to a driver or crew chief (aside: can you imagine if Tony Eury Jr showed up at Speedweeks one year and was absolutely ripped?), but there are other drugs that pose danger to the NASCAR world.

For the last 20-30 years amphetamines or “Greenies”were commonplace in MLB clubhouses. Players believed the drugs improved focus and kept them sharp through the grind of travel. Driving for three plus hours in often triple-digit temperatures while trying to hold the same driving line requires a great deal of focus. Throw in a 40 week, national touring season with sponsor appearances, testing sessions and it’s a profile that would at least be inviting some kind of unnatural aid.

Again, I have no knowledge or reason to believe that anyone is currently using drugs, but the risk is definitely there. That’s why NASCAR needs a stronger, more objective drug policy. If a baseball player is using drugs, the worst that happens is hair loss, shrunken testicles, other health problems or a major PR problem. If a NASCAR driver is using drugs, it creates a dangerous situation for 42 other drivers and hundreds of pit members. A PR problem or integrity of the sport would be minor issues compared to the serious danger a driver under the influence would pose.

It’s great that NASCAR can boast drivers that collectively exceed other sports in terms of character, charity and clean living, but it’s not enough to simply trumpet a reputation or rely on word of mouth to root out problems. Not when there are 900 horsepower cars involved. Random drug testing is the only way to know for sure and it’s hard to imagine drivers objecting. It’s their safety that’s at stake.