Drivers take aim at NASCAR

Kevin Harvick told reporters in Phoenix that he had never been tested for drugs in 10 years of racing on the NASCAR circuits. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Jimmie Johnson may have stolen the headlines Saturday night in Phoenix, but the buzz around the garage concerned banished NASCAR driver Aaron Fike.

Days after Fike admitted to ESPN The Magazine that he had used heroin and later drove in a race the same day, NASCAR drivers criticized the organization for not having a more substantive drug policy.

"I had a long conversation with NASCAR the last time we had this policy brought up in the end of the year last year and it almost seems like it went on deaf ears," said driver Kevin Harvick. "I'm disappointed with the fact that we're in a case where we have to have a reaction instead of being proactive about the situation. So I'm disappointed that we have to answer these questions again and we haven't made any headway whatsoever on the drug testing policy."

Harvick admitted that in the 10 years he has raced in various NASCAR divisions, he has never been tested for drugs. He said that points out the clear lack of policy.

"To me that is not a proper professional sports drug policy, and as I went up and talked to them about it," Harvick said. "They were more mad that I had a reaction to the situation than they were as far as trying to move forward. To me, it was just kind of one of those meetings where they were content to listen to what I had to say and that was about it.

"My name is not Jeff Gordon."

Fike and Shane Hmiel are the only drivers currently banished from the sport for failing a drug test. When Fike was arrested for possession of heroin he was in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Hmiel has failed multiple drug tests.

"I have been in a race with [Fike] and I know for a fact that he's not the only one (using drugs)," Harvick said. "There's another driver (Hmiel) [who] is suspended that I can almost guarantee you was in a race car while he was under the influence and that pisses me off. That is not fair to the 95 percent of this garage. That's the bad part about it: 95 percent of this garage I can guarantee you is clean, but there's a five percent chance -- it's just like the safety thing back in '01 [in the way] we reacted to it; we weren't proactive until that situation happened.

"There's no reason not to be proactive in the state of the world of sports, there's no reason not to be proactive in the drug situation, and that to me is irresponsible more than it is anything. I'm sure I'll be blasted from somebody for saying what I feel but I don't want to be on the race track with people like that."

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp spoke on behalf of the sanctioning body in regards to its drug enforcement policy.

"The responsibility here rests across the board -- with the drivers and competitors, owners and teams and NASCAR," Tharp said. "We test an individual when we have reasonable suspicion and a positive test results in severe consequences and is a career-changing moment for that person. NASCAR's policy is also supported by the various policies that the teams have in place that are required under the driver/owner agreements. No system is flawless; but we believe our zero tolerant policy that is in place has served the sport well."

When told of Harvick's comments, Tharp said, "First of all, let me assure you that no issue or conversation that we have with a driver, owner or team member ever falls on deaf ears. Now, they might not always come out of the meeting with the answer they're looking for, but we listen."

Other drivers firmly believe that NASCAR needs to institute a more strict drug enforcement policy which includes random drug tests to call competitors.

"I'm all for it -- I would love it," Tony Stewart said. "I've never been asked to take one yet and I think it should be mandatory that we have random drug testing all the time. I think non-stop through the year. Obviously with this happening, as an organization we aren't doing a good job of seeing it before it happens.

"Aaron (Fike) coming out and saying that obviously is an indication we need to do a better job than what we are currently doing."