France: NASCAR drug stance the "most aggressive policy in sports"
AVONDALE, Ariz. – NASCAR Chairman Brian France reiterated Saturday the sanctioning body’s position that it has the most stringent substance abuse policy in sports because it is based on being able to test frequently for any reasonable suspicion.
The admission of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike to ESPN The Magazine that he used heroin on a race day last year has brought NASCAR’s policy under scrutiny this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway
“We have the most aggressive policy in sports,” France said while standing in the Sprint Cup garage a couple of hours prior to the Subway Fresh Fit 500. “We can test anytime, anyplace. It’s better than random testing because we can do it on a more frequent basis.
“Then the punishments, should anything happen, are more severe than anything in sports. It’s a game-changer for somebody’s career. If you’re caught doing something substantial like that, that could easily get you a year, two-year suspension or more – not a few games, this that or another thing. … I’m disappointed to hear what [Fike] said, but we’ve got a very strict and clear policy,”
NASCAR never caught Fike – it suspended Fike after his arrest last July. That the police would catch him before NASCAR could call into question NASCAR’s ability to police the sport on reasonable suspicion rather than random testing.
“Certainly when you hear something like that, sure it ought to heighten your review on race day and every day,” France said. “We have lots of other checks, too. We’ve got the team owners that are involved with their own testing policies. We have a clear policy.
“We’re comfortable with it. If we can find a way to enhance it, we will. But it’s pretty hard to enhance the most strict policy in sports.”
