The Sprint Cup series has made great advancements in safety the past few seasons by implementing rule changes, safer barriers and the Car of Tomorrow.

Now, it’s time for NASCAR to turn the focus on safety from its equipment to its drivers.

Drivers and their teams were shocked this weekend with the recent admission by Aaron Fike — a former truck series driver arrested last year and charged with heroin possession — in an interview with ESPN The Magazine he was not only addicted to painkillers for years, but he used heroin on some race days.

“I cannot believe it — it’s absurd,” Jimmie Johnson, who won Saturday night’s race at Phoenix International Speedway, said. “I’m so happy they found out what was going on and got him off the track.”

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But the problem is NASCAR did not find out about the problem soon enough. NASCAR’s policy is to test a driver when there is reasonable suspicion, but when drivers like Fike can successfully hide their habits, they can easily slip through the cracks.

“Obviously, with this happening, we as an organization aren’t doing a good job of seeing it before it happens,” Tony Stewart said. “I think it should be mandatory that we have random drug testing all the time.”

Mandatory random testing seems like the most logical solution. But unlike other sports where drug usage may effect performance or team chemistry, the consequences of drug use in NASCAR could be much more severe — even fatal. With 43 cars racing at speeds close to 200 miles an hour, it is a matter of life and death, and drivers depend on each other to ensure their safety.

“I like the way the policy reads once you’ve tested positive — it is one of the most strict policies in sports,” said points leader Jeff Burton, referring to how NASCAR suspends those drivers who fail drug tests indefinitely. “But I think we ought to test more… if we’re going to mess up, let’s mess up by testing too much, let’s be real aggressive about it.”

Mike Helton, NASCAR’s president, stands by the sport’s current zero-tolerance policy, and is adamant about suspending drivers who fail drug tests. But without regular testing — NASCAR currently makes drivers agree they can be randomly tested for drugs and alcohol — drivers like Fike could be allowed to continue racing unnoticed until something happens on the track.

“I’m confident that every driver in this garage area is willing and open to whatever NASCAR decides to do,” Johnson said. “I see no issue with that from any driver.”

Unlike other sports, NASCAR has been fortunate enough to not suffer through scandals and strikes, and it has an obligation to protect its reputation — even if it means having drivers tested with greater frequency.

The drivers are for it, the fans are for it - and this is one case where nobody loses if NASCAR gives the drivers what they want without argument.

It took the tragic loss of Dale Earnhardt Sr. to force NASCAR to reevaluate safety in the sport, and it made great strides.

Now, NASCAR needs to be proactive and use the same effort to make sure the drivers are just as safe as the equipment.

Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR — listen to Wilson’s Race Report every weeknight at 8:20 on 93.1 WPOC