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NASCAR to "crack" down on drugs with random testing in 2009


Moonshine may be the poison historically associated with NASCAR, but when Craftsman Truck Series racing driver Aaron Fike was arrested for heroin possession over a year ago, it opened a whole new can of worms for the racing league. After getting himself suspended from racing, Fike admitted he had been high on smack during several races and that he had been addicted to painkillers for six years. The incident was only one of seven such suspensions from NASCAR since 2000, but the ripples are still being felt as organizers have announced that random drug testing for drivers, crew and officials in all three NASCAR series will begin next season.

In addition to the spot checks, everyone will get a pre-season screening, and officials will reserve the right already in place to test on grounds of suspicion. Failing to pass a drug test could result in a lifetime ban from racing, while failing a third time means an automatic expulsion. Craftsman series champion Ron Hornaday recently confessed to using a doctor-prescribed topical steroid cream to treat a thyroid condition, which series organizers did not view as an infraction,

[Source: AutoWeek]

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