For the second time in two seasons, the issue of drug testing has rocked NASCAR. That fact alone should be enough for NASCAR’s old-guard leadership to act. Quickly.

The recent news that Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike had been on the track under the influence of heroin last year, before he was suspended, is horrifying — not that anyone should be naive enough to think NASCAR’s drivers aren’t human and therefore subject to addictions like anyone else. It’s horrifying in that we’re getting the same old line when the issue is raised to officials.

“The responsibility here rests across the board — with the drivers and competitors, owners, teams and NASCAR,” said Kerry Tharp, NASCAR’s director of communication. “We test an individual when we have reasonable suspicion. A positive test results in severe consequences and is a careerchanging 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.”

Zero tolerance, yes. Zero prevention? Definitely. And what exactly is reasonable suspicion? Does a driver have to have white powder on his nose or syringes in his duffle bag to be tested? And if he does, is it already too late?

Yes, the threat of being banned from competition should be enough to scare drivers away from drugs. But did the threat of a 50-game suspension stop Atlanta Braves top prospect Jordan Schafer from doing human growth hormone? Forget NASCAR. Fike was flirting with jail time by doing heroin, yet that thought didn’t deter him.

Like it or not, it’s time for random testing of these guys. And here’s the point NASCAR really needs to look at: The drivers are all for it. Unlike the other profesional sports leagues, there is no union to get in the way here.

All NASCAR has to say is, “If you want to drive one of our cars for a living, you must take and pass random drug tests.” It really is as simple as that.

Driver reaction this week at Phoenix should tell officials that its antique way of dealing with drug abuse is no longer viable. Kevin Harvick, for one, has been saying just that for some time.

“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,” he said. “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.

“In the 10 years that I’ve raced, I’ve never been drug tested. So to me that is not a proper professional sports drug policy, and as I went up and talked to them about it, 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.”

Harvick, like the other drivers, believes there are two very good reasons to get this done. One, it would ease doubts that the guy racing next to you at 190 mph is clear-headed. Two, there would be no cloud hanging over drivers who are clean.

“This is not fair to the 95 percent of this garage,” Harvick said, “and that’s the bad part about it — 95 percent of this garage, I can guarantee you, is clean. 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.”

Harvick went on to say that if he had to have his urine tested “15 times a year, I’m happy to do that. Just make sure that everybody in the world knows that our sport is clean.

“I want the perception of the fan and the sponsors to know that this garage is clean, and there’s no reason to have to go back and clean up all this mess because we have two or three people. Let’s just get it over with and do it and be done with.”

Is anyone listening?

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