NASCAR's President, Mike Helton, says it's not a problem. Brian France, whose family owns NASCAR and who wrecked his Lexus on the way home one night in Florida last year without even getting so much as tested for DUI for formality's sake says it's not a problem. Well, the lack of drug testing in racing IS a problem.
The drivers want it, a large majority of fans and sportswriters want it, but NASCAR -- operating on a 'wait until someone gets killed or injured, then we'll react' policy, has dug its collective heels in and is refusing to consider testing drivers and team members for drugs. Like I said in my last blog, it's more about not wanting to put up the money to set up a testing system. Why else? What's it going to take for NASCAR to admit they need to have routine drug testing in this sport? I daresay none of the older, established drivers would be stupid enough to race while on heroin or speed or marijuana, but what about some of the unknowns? Like say, Aaron Fike -- who stated in an ESPN The Magazine interview that he used heroin on race day more than one time. There is not one, single solitary reason for the biggest racing circuit in the USA not to drug test the drivers.
NASCAR claims they're all about safety. That's why the big push for the COT. Well, if they're really concerned about safety, the driver testing should be their paramount concern. One wonders what the multi-billionaires running NASCAR are thinking by refusing to safeguard the drivers via drug testing. Isn't about time they dug their heads out of the sand and used some intelligence in this matter?
