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JOLIET, Ill. -- Kevin Harvick questioned NASCAR's drug testing policy after Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike was arrested and charged with possession of drugs last weekend.
"I believe that every driver and every national series should be drug tested a couple of times a year randomly regardless of who you are, what you are doing," Harvick said on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.
"We owe it to the sponsors and the fans to 100 percent know this is a clean environment. It would eliminate a lot of those problems of the younger guys that disrespect the sport and the system."
Unlike a lot of sports that randomly test for drugs during a season, NASCAR has a preseason test and then randomly tests the rest of the season based on suspicion.
Without suspicion, a driver or crew member could go the entire season without being tested.
Harvick questioned whether somebody such as Fike, who has been suspended by NASCAR, would have slipped through the system had the policy been more stringent.
"Shame on NASCAR for not policing our garage better than what they police it right now," he said. "We're all professional athletes and should be treated like professional athletes in other sports and shame on them for not doing that."
David Newton covers motorsports for ESPN.com.
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2936093
"I believe that every driver and every national series should be drug tested a couple of times a year randomly regardless of who you are, what you are doing," Harvick said on Friday at Chicagoland Speedway.
"We owe it to the sponsors and the fans to 100 percent know this is a clean environment. It would eliminate a lot of those problems of the younger guys that disrespect the sport and the system."
Unlike a lot of sports that randomly test for drugs during a season, NASCAR has a preseason test and then randomly tests the rest of the season based on suspicion.
Without suspicion, a driver or crew member could go the entire season without being tested.
Harvick questioned whether somebody such as Fike, who has been suspended by NASCAR, would have slipped through the system had the policy been more stringent.
"Shame on NASCAR for not policing our garage better than what they police it right now," he said. "We're all professional athletes and should be treated like professional athletes in other sports and shame on them for not doing that."
David Newton covers motorsports for ESPN.com.
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2936093
