Notes: Harvick in favor of strong drug-testing policy

JOLIET, Ill. -- Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, insisted on Friday that NASCAR needs to establish a stronger drug-testing program.

Harvick was asked about the recent news that Truck Series driver Aaron Fike had been arrested on suspicion of possessing heroin and the tools necessary to use the highly addictive and dangerous drug. Fike since has been suspended indefinitely, pending an investigation. (read more)

"Here's how I feel about the whole thing: I believe every driver and every national series should be drug-tested a couple times a year randomly, regardless of who you are or what you're doing," Harvick said. "I think we owe it to the sponsors and the fans to 100 percent know that this is a clean environment.

"It would eliminate a lot of those problems of the younger guys that disrespect the sport and the system. Shame on NASCAR for not policing our garage better than what they police it right now. I think we're all professional athletes and should be treated like professional athletes in other professional sports -- and shame on them for not doing that."

The current drug policy in NASCAR is to test participants only when reasonable suspicion of illegal activity is suspected, although that can be done to anyone at any time.

"There is a random testing policy that we all sign at the beginning of every year, where they can drug-test us at any time," Harvick said.

He doesn't think it is enough, and he would like to see NASCAR do more completely random testing.

"I don't think it's necessarily a problem, but I think there would be zero speculation [with more testing], and speculation is not something that should drive anything in our garage," Harvick said. "I don't believe we have a huge problem, but it's still the black eye of the one or two guys that do have a problem. That just kind of frustrates me a little bit.

"There should be a couple times a year where guys are tested. Everybody should be on guard all the time. For those of us who have no interest in even really looking to find a party scene or anything like that, I just think it would be good for the sport if they just cleared the air."

Moving on

Drivers Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth said they both have put last year's incident at Chicagoland Speedway, when Gordon tapped Kenseth from behind and spent him spinning in the closing laps, far behind them. The move, which Gordon always has insisted was unintentional, allowed Gordon to go on to win the Nextel Cup race.

"Nobody ever forgets those things, but I think we put our differences behind us and we've been racing clean and hard and have had some great battles since last year. So we have no issues," Gordon said. "What I want to do [in this Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland] is go out and have a car like we had last year, as competitive as that one was -- and hopefully it's Matt but whoever it is, go out there and make a clean pass on him for the win and get us another victory here." (watch video)

Kenseth said he's just looking forward to racing at the track that isn't far from his hometown of Cambridge, Wis.

"It kind of feels like home, coming up here," Kenseth said. "This track is real wide ... so I think there will be two good grooves and the racing will be good." (Continued)