NASCAR to Finally Step Up Drug Testing

If nothing else from NASCAR's Labor Day weekend trip to Auto Club Speedway in southern California is a positive, at least the sanctioning body is taking steps to make the sport safer in the coming weeks.

NASCAR CEO Brian France announced Sunday at the track that NASCAR will be unveiling a new drug testing policy in the coming weeks that will likely take effect when the 2009 season begins at Daytona in February.

NASCAR officials have approached several teams in recent weeks, using them as sounding boards on ideas for the new policy. A form of random testing is expected, members of several team sources have confirmed.

"We're going to expand the scope of the policy," NASCAR's Brian France said. "That's where we are today. We have a very good policy," he said.

"We will be looking at broadening testing, even though we have a lot of latitude today. We're going to broaden it. The circumstances around all of sports have changed in the past three, four or five years. We need to be mindful of that."

That stance is a long way from the one NASCAR originally took earlier this season when former driver Aaron Fike admitted that he used heroin on race days.

Fike -- who was arrested in June 2007 after getting caught with the drug outside the King's Island amusement park in Ohio -- admitted to his use during an ESPN the Magazine interview.

NASCAR's original response was that its drug testing program of testing drivers and team members who show signs of using drugs was sufficient enough -- despite the fact that it never once suspected Fike. Naturally, NASCAR took quite a bit of flack from the incident, but didn't make any major changes.

While the changes they appear to be making for 2009 are more than a little delayed -- driver Kevin Harvick already has instituted a random testing policy among the race teams he owns -- the changes are at least coming.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-01-2008 @ 2:59AM

anna seitter said...

WELL........ CONGRATULATION TO JJ. IT WAS A GREAT WIN
AND A WELL DESERVED ONE.SO, kudos to jimmy.
On another subject, the situation only gets worse for TONY EURY and STEVE LETARGY. 1 TOP 10 for JUNIOR IN 11 races now. JEFF GORD another temporary flash last week top 5 and already he is estinguished again. LETARGY AND EURY
GOT TO LOOK FOR WORK ELSEWHERE.
NO more if ends or butts.wake up dale and jeff. FURY and letargy does not work for me.... OVER!
kyle top 7 noooooooootttttttttt.poor finish for him exspecially
when hatewards finishes even 1 ahead of him.Full trottle ahead again KYLE GO. stewart another disappointement this week maybe greg zinfandel has been consulting the farmer boy
steve letargy, who knows.GO JIMMY.

9-01-2008 @ 3:03AM

OOPS, i just realized, i walked away from the subject again.
I hope poster JOHN misses such a walk. Maybe he is happy this week with harwick finishing 4th. i hope so.

aloha john...

9-01-2008 @ 9:18AM

Maveness said...

Thank god they finally got their heads out of their butts. This is one sport that really, really can't afford to have abusers. The drivers and crews aren't pumping up to get bigger because that makes them drive faster. They're not taking some performance enhancer that'll make the pit crews have unbelievably fast stops. We're talking illegal drugs that are purely bad for the safety of the teams. It's about time NASCAR got their heads out of their butts.

9-01-2008 @ 6:03PM

Kaz said...

I hope all drug abusers are forced out of the sport. I believe the JJ lovers should review Rev Jim's Rants blog. Maybe JJ isn't the golden child that some would claim. JJ without Chad Knaus is not a 2 time champion. I am not impressed with Steve and I don't think Jeff is either.

Last night's race was BORING! I turned it off and watched hurricane action. LOL

9-01-2008 @ 11:22PM

WE WEREDISCUSSING THIS DRUG PROBLEM in sporets last year and last spring too when what' his face got ejected from the nationwide series.
Months after the NAZCAR REGIME has finally come up with some new ruling to discourage it and not facilitate it. IT'S really a license to kill to allow any driver out on track at those high speed and sudden surprises and events, when a driver is drunk or high or whatever else.
So to this regime new ruling i shall say welcome and well done.
For oNCE I AGREE nazcar has done something positive for the drivers and their safety and not just rules and power.