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The Ostrich Called NASCAR
4/10/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)
There was a time way back when in the late 1980s when NASCAR was ahead of the game in drug testing procedures among major sports, even though few considered them a major sport at that time. The other sports didn't even have that topic on their list of things to worry about but NASCAR was more proactive than the stick and ball sports. But would NASCAR still be racing cars from the 1980s? Technology and the world have changed so much it is time for mandatory drug testing in NASCAR! NASCAR has to end their ostrich imitation and take their head out of the sand when it comes to drug testing!
Best Test for Testing
The current NASCAR testing procedure does not work! How can I make such a definitive statement? Let me ask you a simple question…did they catch Aaron Fike? Something broke down in the wonderful world of NASCAR if no one noticed this guy acting different. He wasn't taking diet pills or vicodin folks…it was heroin! Either no one noticed or no one gave a damn but the result is the same. According to Fike this wasn't done while "bench Racing," he raced his Craftsman Truck while high on heroin! The fool even bragged about finishing in the top five while high…now THERE is a role model! That should scare the hell out of NASCAR and move them to action sooner rather than later. How many Fikes will it take until they take action?
Imagine the Worst
Driver X is racing through the field racing high as a kite as usual. His judgment is seriously impaired and he passes out while driving into the pits and plows into a crowd of people. Fifteen people are seriously injured and two might not live. While they are attending to Driver X in the infield care center they notice track marks on his arms. Testing confirms he has shot up with heroin recently. Can you hear that sound? "Gentlemen…start your lawsuits!"
The Pure Sport
NASCAR does not have drug issues or gambling issues or crime issues like other sports! How many times have you heard that statement from fans or NASCAR itself? Is it true? Do people in NASCAR really live pure lives never cheating on their spouses and never jaywalking or exceeding the posted limit or kicking their dog? The behavior of people involved in NASCAR is better based on fewer arrests. But that might just mean people are not getting caught because their actions are contained in our own little traveling community. My guess is that the amount of drug abuse is probably about average versus the rest of the population. Even if it is below normal it still exists and that means drug testing is needed to help prevent it from getting any worse!
Random is Better
NASCAR says that their current drug plan is just fine. If they notice strange behavior they can test anyone. Just how weird does someone need to act? NASCAR's top 35 rule guarantees that the sport's biggest stars race every week. NASCAR has an incentive NOT to test their most prominent drivers because they can't afford to lose one of their stars. Random testing takes any judgment calls out of the equation. Reasonable cause might have worked great in the 1980s. But having ten people tested every week would be a plan that would be reasonable in cost and effective as a deterrent.
Fortune 500 Does It
Many of the sponsors supporting NASCAR have drug policies that are much stricter than NASCAR. Some of those companies have random testing for their workers. If a driver at UPS can be tested then why shouldn't their NASCAR driver or crewmembers be held to that same standard? People like to scream about violating their freedoms if they are asked to pee in a bottle. Working in NASCAR is not a right as an American citizen…having a hard card is an opportunity granted to you by NASCAR. Random testing programs exist for a good reason because they do act as a deterrent. They also insure the safety of the rest of the hard card carrying members!
Time for Action is Now
Doing nothing is not an option. Doing the same thing is not an option either. Aaron Fike said that drug use in the sport is at a very high level. What if he is close to being right? Even if there are only a miniscule 1% of all people in NASCAR involved in drug use that is 1% too many! NASCAR talks about being a sport that has higher values than the stick and ball sports. But their drug testing policy is the worst among major sports! Since it makes sense that NASCAR has similar percentages of bad stuff going on as the "Real World" it makes sense to take action to make sure it doesn't get any worse! This head in the sand attitude about drug use has to end before 10 more Aaron Fikes pop up!
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