NASCAR’s most unlikely suspect – Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely after failing a random drug test last week.
According to ESPN – Mayfield is the first driver affected by NASCAR’s new random drug testing policy and he says he took Claritin D, which is an over-the-counter allergy drug that contains pseudoephedrine, a substance banned by most sports. This along with a prescription drug caused the postive result according to Mayfield. NASCAR’s substance abuse policy administrator says, that that is not even plausible.
If Mayfield violated NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, then fine suspended him. This sport is way to dangerous to have someone hopped up on drugs operating a vehicle at 200 mph with 42 others people right at their side.
But get this, the drivers are not provided a list of banned substances. The NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour and NCAA each make available public lists in their drug testing policies.
Dr. Charles Yesalis, a Penn State professor who has testified before Congress on performance-enhancing drugs states “That alone to me is ludicrous. That just kind of violates your sense of fair play. The drivers don’t have a union, but if somebody did that to me I’d go get myself a nasty lawyer. What if somebody in management or ownership doesn’t like you? They can use that as a weapon against you.” (espn.com)
NASCAR will not release what test Mayfield failed.
If it turns out that this is a “false positive” NASCAR will have to call the black flag on itself.