This week in NASCAR drug testing

NASCAR's Jeremy Mayfield suspended for violating drug policy
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/autoracing/blog/2009/05/nascars_jeremy_mayfield_suspen.html


NASCAR driver suspended indefinitely for drug use
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10334074&nav=0RaPdBst

"You have to have total trust in that person who is diving into that corner side-by-side with you," Kevin Harvick said at the time. "If he's drunk or stoned or whatever there are no guarantees that you're coming out of the corner alive. If there's even a hint that someone may be doing it, their ass has to be gone."
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=mcgee_ryan&id=4154995


ESPN is also reporting (can't find a link) that two crew members failed drug tests after the Richmond race last week.

Old is better. 61 and hope'n to count some more

:popcorn: *



*Note: the above popcorn has tested free of any banned substances.

for fuck sake.:beer:

I love Nascar but this should be fun to watch.

Oh and congratulations to Mark Martin! Great win at Darlington old man!

you'd notice there isn't a muscled up driver in the ranks.

I'm not suggesting anything, I'm just saying that certain anabolics will do more than just build muscle. Focus, aggression, intensity can all get a serious lift from them.

I hope that it's not, as it's a black eye they don't need.

any adbantage, To take anything else would be suicide in a race! I guess I have to agree if you are going to suspend someone from baseball or football, NASAR cant be exempt, so suspend him. For the crew members...Why? They aren't driving. If you snag them dribing on the roads and they are guilty of DUI, arrest them but stay out of the pits!

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/14/sports/sp-golfdrugs14

I think this is more for show. PGA golfers are basically small businessmen but I guess the PGA is trying to nip this in the bud at least from a PR standpoint.

I seriously doubt that the have Xanax on the list-those "calm nerves" over 4 foot putts are very important ( $$$ ;-) )

I read a long story about this on a news site the covers the USA today and every day (hint). First of all HE claims the test is a false positive due to OTC plus prescribed drug, and this is VERY possible. Since the alleged drug or drug class is "confidential", and the test method/brand is not known to us either, I say it is at least 50/50 he is telling the truth.

If it was pot he would not likely make this claim, at least these days. Once upon a time ibuprofen would give false-positives for cannabinoids but I don't think those old tests are used by anyone for 10-15 years or more. And it it WAS pot, wouldn't he be driving noticeably SLOWER, and complaining about everyone else going too fast? I think we all know the answer to that question?

Opiates, heroin, etc - not likely. Does anyone here think a driver would do that? OK, one guy did but he was caught pretty quick (long before this level) and he was already an addict.

I suspect false-positive for amphetamines which is pretty easy with what he claims really happened. And speed is much more likely if he really DID use, anyway. A couple years back a physician near the inner circle of F1 claimed cocaine use was wide-spread among drivers during the races due to enhanced reflexes. No one tested and I doubt cocaine would last long enough frankly.

You can find out this info yourself on the internet if you try a little, but you must be prepared to read the fine print of the manufacturer. If I find it on my computer and this link is still up I will post it, or a link to the .pdf.

Even sophisticated tests can read a combination of 2 substances as a false positive for a third, even spectography. How? Easy, if the 2 give peaks which taken together resemble a third's peaks. I got brownie points in med school for demonstrating this with a real live (barely) patient. Chemistry major make the best psychopharmacologists, ya know.

http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/cup/05/09/jmayfield.violates.drug.policy/index.html

"Also suspended indefinitely were Tony Martin, a crewman on the No. 34 Sprint Cup car of Front Row Motorsports, whose entry was driven Saturday night by Tony Raines; and Ben Williams, a crew member with the No. 16 Nationwide Series team of Roush Fenway Racing, which won Friday night's event with Matt Kenseth. Hunter would not specify what substances were taken, but did say the violations were for more than merely alcohol use."

Congrats to Mark Martin for driving one heck of a race!

They can go to jail even if they had no intentions of injuring another person. If Jeremy Mayfield is hopped up on some type of drug and operating a 3400 pound car, at any speed, I would say that is threating other people with a weapon.

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If it is proven he was using drugs, he needs to be in jail - not suspended.

(Note, none of the cars in the picture are Jeremy Mayfield. He used to drive #41)

Shouldn't they be testing the cars?