May 18, 2009
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely last week at Darlington for violating NASCAR’s new substance abuse policy. The entire matter has been shrouded in secrecy and has raised more questions than answers.
NASCAR officials have yet to name the banned substance discovered in Mayfield’s test. Now, drivers and fans alike are calling for a list of banned substances to be released by NASCAR, something that all other major sport series, who test for drugs, have done.
“There should not be a mystery out there,” Ryan Newman was quoted as saying in an AP article on espn.com. “This should be public knowledge. If we're going to do what's good for the sport, which is also what's good for kids that are out there that look up to NASCAR drivers, they should know what not to do.”
Along with revealing the abused substance, NASCAR should release a list of drugs not to take, but they haven’t because their policy states that abuse of any drug is a violation. However, most drivers are calling for a list to be released.
“To be honest with you, I'm a little scared,” Brian Vickers said in an espn.com article by David Newton. “I'm afraid to take Nyquil. If I get a cold I don't know what to take. To me this is extremely gray, extremely vague.”
When Mayfield’s test came back as a positive, he requested a second sample to be taken, as he is allowed under the policy. NASCAR officials allowed Mayfield to participate in practice sessions at Darlington, claiming that they couldn’t suspend a driver until the second test results came back because the test is considered incomplete. They also stated that they didn’t consider Mayfield to be a threat.
Yet, if they didn’t consider him to be a threat for practice and qualifying sessions, why would he be considered a threat for the race? Apparently, the drug that was discovered in Mayfield’s test wasn’t too high of a concern if he was still allowed to participate in practice sessions. If it was a high risk drug, then NASCAR’s policy is extremely flawed.
Mayfield released a statement last Saturday in which he explained his results.
“As both a team owner and a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, I have immense respect for the enforcement policies NASCAR has in place. In my case, I believe that the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over-the-counter medicine reacted together and resulted in a positive drug test. My doctor and I are working with both Dr. Black and NASCAR to resolve this matter.”
While Mayfield is not one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR, he has won just five races so far in his career; his name is recognizable enough to the general public to raise eyebrows.
NASCAR claims that the reason they haven’t released the test results is to protect Mayfield’s privacy, which is ludicrous because his name has already been smeared. What if the drug was an over the counter medication? Is NASCAR keeping the test private to keep itself from looking bad?
What would have happened in another, more popular driver had tested positive for the drug found it Mayfield’s test? Would that driver have been suspended?
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