NASCAR: Burning Rubber and Black Tar Heroin on the Track

Aaron Fike vanished on July 7, 2007.

All in all, a good night at the track—especially for someone who'd shot up heroin that day. ~ ESPN

It's an all too familiar story storyboard.

1. Bright kid- 2. Brash young professional- 3. Drug use- 4. Mug shot.

Aaron Fike had been racing since boyhood. With a top finish in a NASCAR series race his name was being bounced around as a young gun potentially worthy of the big time. But just as he had advanced rapidly through the ranks to reach the NASCAR scene, Fike’s graduation from a prescription pill addiction to shooting up intravenously accelerated his inevitable fall from grace. In July 2007, Fike and his fiancée were arrested in the parking lot of an amusement park shooting up black tar heroin.

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He was dropped by his racing team and suspended indefinitely by NASCAR.

Now a year later, out of jail/rehab and into recovery Fike still has a chance to be a champion both on and off the track. Part of his two year probation and sentence includes his participation in a youth drug education program; he will launch the site www.onthewinningtrack.com this month. Personally I wouldn’t care if he ever won another race as long as he stays clean, but I will still be rooting for his return to the track because I feel it will give his advocacy efforts that extra oomph.

As far as heroin addictions go, Aaron Fike should already consider himself a huge winner. Very few people win a race against Mr. Brownstone, the fifth panel in the above story board is usually a funeral. He might not be getting much applause now, but if in the recovery process he also helps keep a few kids off drugs then even I will become a fan.

I will however wave a caution flag right now about trying to race through recovery. There is no finish line or checkered flags in this life contest. Endurance not speed is critical for success in recovery; the plodding tortoise often finds himself more successful than the sprinting hare. Good luck Aaron, I look forward to checking out your site.