Ryan Newman calls on NASCAR to name drug involved in Jeremy Mayfield case
Stewart-Haas Racing's Ryan Newman says that NASCAR should release what showed on a positive substance-abuse test. // LaDon George, NASCAR Scene
CHARLOTTE – Ryan Newman called on NASCAR to make public whatever drug drivers test positive for when it issues an indefinite suspension for a failed drug test.
Speaking prior to the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge on Thursday night, Newman and others expressed frustration and worry about what they see as the vague nature of NASCAR's beefed-up drug-testing policy. NASCAR instituted random drug testing this year, and Jeremy Mayfield became the first Sprint Cup driver suspended under the new policy.
Mayfield released a statement Saturday indicating that he believed a mixture of prescription and over-the-counter drugs produced the positive result on his test. Dr. David Black, the internationally known toxicologist who oversees the NASCAR program, said that a mix of prescription and over-the-counter drugs would not necessarily produce the positive test seen in Mayfield’s case and said that it was a drug of great concern as a substance that would adversely affect performance.
The NASCAR drug policy that drivers sign allows the sanctioning body to disclose the results of the test, but officials have not made public the drug in Mayfield’s case.
“The first thing is, there should not be a mystery out there,” Newman said at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena. “This should be public knowledge. If we’re gong 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.
“That’s super-important to me. I want to have a positive impact on kids, and for adults in that matter. I don’t know the whole story for what’s happened. Knowing what the penalty is, knowing what caused the situation is extremely important.”
NASCAR does not give the drivers a list of banned drugs nor the amount that needs to be in the system that would result in a positive test.
“I’m afraid to take my multiivitamin,” said Red Bull Racing’s Brian Vickers. “Because you call them [at NASCAR] and you ask them, ‘Is this multivitamin OK?’ And their response is ‘Well, I think it is. but if it tests positive, there’s nothing we can do about it.’ What am I supposed to do with that?
“And then all they tell you is, 'Just remember we had this conversation.’ OK. Well, what does that mean? To me, it’s extremely gray, it’s extremely vague. I don’t know what happened to Mayfield. No one knows. They haven’t released it.”
The reasons that NASCAR does not give a list, Black said earlier this week, is that any drug can be abused when the safety of the participants in a race is taken into account. He also said that he has received a number of calls from NASCAR drivers asking what they can take and what they can’t.
“I’m a little scared because nothing is clearly defined in this drug policy,” Vickers said. “Yeah, of course we know the obvious drugs, like real drugs, marijuana, cocaine, things like that obviously are not OK. But when it comes to the statements made to me from NASCAR and people enforcing the drug policy [are] like, ‘Any drug can be abused.’
“Well, if I’ve got a bad headache or a really bad headache and I take more than two per four-hour Tylenol, does that mean I lose my … reputation and my job? It’s like, c’mon, let’s get real here. Give us a list of what I can or can’t take. It’s just very vague.”
Those sentiments were echoed by other drivers.
“It seems as if we don’t know the whole story,” Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch said. “When I go into a drug-testing scenario, we don’t know what the outcome can be because we don’t know what they’re testing for. ... It’s very open-ended.
“That’s been the rules that’s been given to us. I like it, and I don’t like it at the same time.”
The drivers seemed most worried about the impact a positive test for drugs that aren’t considered hard-core nor illegal might have.
“In some instances, it’s important to know if it is something that you would call really illegal,” Michael Waltrip Racing’s David Reutimann said. “At this point in the game, you hope it’s not a situation where it was prescription stuff that was just taken with something else that ended up being a bad read. I would hope they would be absolutely sure what the substance was.”
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Newman said he would check with NASCAR to see if officials would tell him what drugs were involved in Mayfield’s positive test.
Newman also advocated the possibility of testing drivers on Monday to speed up the process so a driver who tests positive isn’t allowed on the track. In the Mayfield situation, his “A” sample had tested positive, but his “B” test did not come back until Saturday – eight days after the test was administered.
“NASCAR had to know what he tested positive for, and however that [retest] work, I assume that NASCAR made their judgment call to let Jeremy run on Friday,” Newman said. “It’s scary. What are the side effects?”
