Drug Users In NASCAR

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Compared to other major sports, NASCAR has not dealt with the problem of drugs quite as often. It was in 1988 that Tim Richmond, a 13-time race winner, who made the news for his suspension due to his failure to pass a sanctioned drug test. Richmond started driving for Hendrick Motorsports and built an impressive record on the circuit, and he was regularly listed on the nascar schedule. Afterwards, Richmond denied any drug use and it was later discovered that medications taken for cold symptoms were the cause of the positive testing. NASCAR did not want Richmond in the sport at that time. He was losing weight due to an illness, but unbeknownst to NASCAR, Richmond was dying of AIDS. From NASCAR's perspective, the weight loss and subsequent symptoms must be the result of drugs; rumors in the Cup garage supported this assumption.

By 1989, he had died because of medical complications from AIDS.

In fact, in the two decades since Tim Richmond was banned from NASCAR, few drivers have been taken to task for illicit drug use. Drivers Shane Hmiel, Tyler Walker, Kevin Grubb, and Aaron Fike have been suspended by NASCAR in the recent past. Two of them, Grubb and Hmiel, were no longer allowed on the track for their failures to pass tests after being reinstated for earlier suspensions.

Hmiel is the son of auto racing mechanic Steve Hmiel, who has been involved with popular racing companies like Chip Ganassi Racing, Rousch Racing, and Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the last several years. Hmiel was a racer with serious talent and many described him as one of the more talented rookie drivers of the last decade, but his substance abuse issues were the undoing of his promising driving career.

Grubb was also a young driver in the late 1990's. Grubb enjoyed moderate success in the Busch, now Nationwide Series before failing a drug test in 2003. Despite the fact that Grubb was reinstated after a three-year absence from the track, he lasted just a year before final suspension in 2007. Just recently, in May 2009, Grubb shot himself in the head and was killed instantly.

Driver Tyler Walker, a good friend to the Sprint Cup Series racer, Kasey Kahne, was suspended in 2006 for failing a drug screening. Tyler has yet to file for NASCAR reinstatement.

Driver Aaron Fike's made the list of trouble drivers when he was arrested for heroin possession at a theme park and subsequently suspended by NASCAR officials. Later, in an interview with ESPN's 'The Magazine,' Fike said that he was using heroin on race day. The interview was a wake-up call for NASCAR.

Prior to the 2009 season, NASCAR required tests only for those drivers under reasonable suspicion for abuse. NASCAR's new drug policy includes random testing for all drivers and crewmembers during the driving season using third-party service Aegis Science Corp Labs, which is managed by Dr. David Black.

A small number of crewmembers have been suspended following positive drug test results.

As recently as May 9, 2009, driver Jeremy Mayfield, another popular driver like Tim Richmond, was place on indefinite suspension for failing his drug screening. Mayfield has made a claim that the positive test is a result of combination of Claritin-D allergy medicine and an unnamed but legal prescription drug. However, NASCAR and Dr. Black have publicly ruled out Mayfield's claim.

Mayfield refuses to withdraw his claim and has hired a lawyer named Bill Diehl to represent him. There appears to be a legal suit in NASCAR's immediate future.

NASCAR has not publicly disclosed the substance that is in question, and even Mayfield has expressed ignorance regarding the drug. He and his lawyer received reports earlier in the week.

The bottom line is that this is a he-said they-said situation that will likely be resolved outside of court. It has triggered plenty of attention on the sport of NASCAR, and not in a good way. Still, there isn't necessarily any reason for concern for the nascar schedule. The coverage of Mayfield's legal protests have sidetracked many notable stories coming out of NASCAR that could mean some good press for a change. Much of this is about the fact that drug issues are still a rarer thing in NASCAR than they are in the NBA, NFL, MLB, or the NHL.

The random drug screening process is an improvement from the testing only on reasonable suspicion approach. The real flaw in this new approach is that NASCAR hasn't given out a list of substances it has banned to the public. It seems that NASCAR wants to be the one to decide if a substance should be banned. A list of banned substances would allow the drivers and crewmembers more understanding on what they can or cannot do.

As with other professional sports, drug use is forbidden in NASCAR.



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Categories: allergies