BACKSEAT DRIVERS VOLUME 38
Many of NASCAR's biggest stars want the sanctioning body to institute random drug testing. However, President Mike Helton defended the current policy of testing only when "reasonable suspicion" exists. What are your thoughts?
Many of NASCAR's biggest stars want the sanctioning body to institute random drug testing. However, President Mike Helton defended the current policy of testing only when "reasonable suspicion" exists. What are your thoughts?
Arianne: I agree with Helton when he mentions the effectiveness of the current policy. Just compare NASCAR to other professional sports and you will see his point. I can name about 6 guys in the past two decades who have had a substance abuse problem in NASCAR. Pro football and baseball average those numbers per day. However, I agree with Kevin Harvick that the current policy can be improved. Aaron Fike's admittance to driving under the influence of heroine during an event is the writing on the wall. It would not cost much more to randomly select drivers from time to time throughout the season. That way, the sanctioning body is doing all it can to prevent misfortune due to impared drivers. The stakes are quite a bit higher in our sport. A racer driving under the influence has a greater chance of killing someone compared to an offensive lineman smoking marijuana before a game.
Kimmie: Obviously this is a concern to drivers and should be addressed. Yes, Aaron Fike was found out, but what if it took some dying for that to happen and not just "reasonable suspicion". People die in racing, and I hope it is never because someone was high or drunk.
Brianna: I have no problem with random drug testing and I would hope 90% of the drivers would feel the same. They are athletes and all major sports have testing so why not NASCAR.
Lissa: I honestly think that if the drivers want there to be random drug testing to be made mandatory, then it should be. Aaron Fike admitted to using heroin the same day he drove in the Nationwide Series. When you have someone out there under the influence of drugs while in a stock car that costs a lot of money to build, plus you have a ton of people around you, there leaves a chance for someone to get seriously hurt or worse. On another note, I don't think it should be limted to the drivers that are subjected to random drug tests. NASCAR should test crew chiefs and crew members as well. After all, they do work on the cars during the weekends and are around the drivers.
Katy: Yesterday on TV, when they were talking about it, they said some of the drivers have never been tested. I guess this is because of the 'reasonable suspicion" thing. But my question is this: if Aaron Fike drove while he was on herione and nobody knew about it, and he was never tested, doesn't that prove to Mike Helton that their current policy isn't working? What makes him think it is? Also, I'm wondering what exactly "reasonable suspicion" is, and how many drivers, on average, are tested a year? When I was in high school, all of the student athletes had to sign an agreement for random drug testing. Every two weeks, they came in and selected 50 of the student athletes to be tested. I think this would be a good policy for NASCAR to have. Maybe not every two weeks, but every couple of months couldn't hurt. If my tiny little high school (I graduted with 30 people; it was little and in the middle of a corn field) could afford the drug testing, NASCAR could do it, no problem. As many of the drivers that are speaking out about the current policy and how it's not working. I don't think NASCAR will have a problem getting all of the drivers to agree to it, so why aren't they? It's just another way to add safety to the sport. I say go for it.RACE FAN RESPONSE:
I love Nascar and think that safety should always be one of the highest priorities. Obviously Aaron Fike was driving high, and risking lives, and didn’t generate “reasonable suspicion”. To think that any policy that revolves around reasonable suspicion will work is just crazy. I am a former user myself. I haven’t used in many years but I guarantee I was on drugs and no one had a clue much more often than I was on drugs and anyone actually suspected it. It’s kind of like a habitual liar.....they are so good at it and so use to it that they and everyone around them has no clue it is going o n.
Michael H.
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