RacingForTheWin.com

    Last summer, when former Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike was arrested for possession of heroin in the parking lot of an amusement park, it struck me as a tragedy that another person had succumbed to drug addiction. I didn't really give it another thought because it seemed that only he and his girlfriend were affected by their decisions. Fike, though, has revealed in an interview with ESPN that he not only struggled with drug addiction for several years, but that he had also used heroin on race days. Aaron Fike's admission of being under the influence of drugs while driving in a motorsports event should open the eyes of both fans and sanctioning bodies to the continuing use of drugs by drivers and crew members.

    NASCAR has a drug testing system in place, but typically would not test anyone unless they had reasonable and credible proof that a driver had violated the drug policy. Fike had not shown any signs that he was using drugs on or off the track. Because NASCAR did not have any reason to believe that Fike was under the influence of drugs at any time, they did not test him. Obviously, Fike was able to hide his drug use from members of his team, NASCAR, and even his family. Fike's ability to keep his addiction a secret should encourage NASCAR to re-evaluate its drug testing policies.

    In an era when professional sports are being marred by performance enhancing drugs, NASCAR has been able to avoid any of the criticism because, in reality, there is no real drug to increase the performance of a driver. Now though, with Fike's admission, NASCAR has a bigger problem. Instead of having a driver who's only cheating himself and his team, the driver is risking the lives of drivers, crew members, NASCAR officials, and even fans. This needs to change, and change now.

    The question is what can NASCAR do in order to prevent drivers from driving under the influence? First and foremost, NASCAR should begin randomly screening drivers, including at least five drivers a few hours before a NASCAR event. This would prevent the driver from being able to abuse the drug of choice prior to the event. Secondly, NASCAR should offer drivers a support system which will not assist the driver in battling his or her addiction, but will do so in a personal and confidential manner. Finally, NASCAR must have a zero tolerance policy for drug users immediately before an event. This purpose of this policy would be to discourage the use of drugs before an event, where they are risking other's lives, not just their own.

    Addiction is a personal struggle that many people have to endure and I will therefore not pass judgement on Fike or any other person battling the disease. The thing that I, and likely many other individuals, have issue with is putting the lives of fellow competitors at risk while driving under the influence of drugs. As a result of his reckless behavior, Fike, or any other driver or crew member, found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol during a sanctioned event should be automatically be banned for life from competing in that series. All other series should also respect the and observe the ban as well.

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