DOVER, Del. -- NASCAR has toughened its doping policy and will do random tests in 2009 on everyone in the three national series -- from star drivers to anonymous tire changers.
| Advertisement |
|||
| |||
All drivers, over-the-wall crew members and officials will be tested before the start of next season, and will also be subject to random tests throughout the year.
The amended policy for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Trucks series kicks in at preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway.
"This is more of a reaction to the modern responsibilities that we also have, not just in NASCAR, but the whole community of sports," NASCAR president Mike Helton said on Saturday. "I think the industry feels like that's the right thing to do."
NASCAR did not reveal a list of banned substances and it reserved the right to test for any substance -- anything from steroids to prescription medicines -- if there was suspicion of abuse. Under NASCAR's current policy, testing is done only when there is a "reasonable suspicion" someone is using banned substances.
Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's vice president of racing operations, noted that other U.S. professional leagues have changed their drug policies to adapt to perceived problems.
"We know there's new drugs out there every day," O'Donnell said. "By having a broad policy that doesn't list anything, we feel like we can test for any substance that may be abused."
O'Donnell said NASCAR will go public with anyone who flunks an original 'A' sample and backup 'B' sample test. While NASCAR reserved the right to issue a lifetime ban after one positive result, O'Donnell said the sport would likely continue with a "three strikes-and-out" policy.
NASCAR told teams of the stricter policy at a mandatory meeting on Saturday at Dover International Speedway.
"If you're going to say you're a clean sport, you've got to have it through the entire sport," driver Denny Hamlin said. "You can't just have it with the drivers, so I think that's going to be a great thing."
NASCAR expected to test 12 to 14 individuals per series each weekend in 2009. NASCAR is responsible for the cost of all testing, except owners will pay for the preseason licensed crew member tests.
Attention on the existing policy increased when former Truck Series driver Aaron Fike admitted to ESPN The Magazine that he had used heroin -- even on days he raced. That led a number of drivers, including Kevin Harvick and two-time series champion Tony Stewart, to call on NASCAR to add random drug testing.
Steroid use and other performance-enhancing drugs have never really been believed to be a problem in NASCAR. Drivers, owners and other officials liked to boast that NASCAR was the cleanest sport of them all.
Now, unified random testing can prove it.
