Waid's World
by Steve Waid
The episode that forced NASCAR to adapt
April 14, 2008
More blog postings from Steve Waid
NASCAR didn’t have an official drug testing policy for several decades, largely because it felt it didn’t need one. The same can be said for other major league sports.
But as time progressed and our culture changed, there came drug- or illness-related revelations and incidents in other sports that forced them to take some kind of action to protect their integrity.
Although it was some time later, the same happened to NASCAR.
It wasn’t one single incident; rather it was a series of them, coupled with rampant rumors, that surrounded one driver – Tim Richmond.
Richmond came into NASCAR in the early 1980s. NASCAR had never seen the likes of him. He was young, handsome, flamboyant, outspoken and cocky – and blessed with raw talent.
He was a winning driver by the time he hooked up with team owner Rick Hendrick in 1986. Richmond had a stellar season with Hendrick. He won seven times in 29 races, with 13 finishes among the top five and 17 among the top 10. He finished third in the point standings.
But even before 1986, rumors circulated about Richmond. Most of them were about his carousing, erratic behavior and seemingly routine bouts of ill health. Several drivers privately expressed their concerns to NASCAR.
During the winter of 1986, Richmond entered a hospital with a reported case of double pneumonia. He recovered but entered only eight races with Hendrick in 1987 and won two of them.
He never raced again. He tried to enter the Daytona 500 in 1988 but failed perhaps the first drug test NASCAR ever announced to the public. It was revealed that Richmond had high doses of over-the-counter medicines in his system.
He passed a second test, but NASCAR refused to let him race. Richmond sued, but the issue never went to court – largely because Richmond would not give NASCAR his medical records.
Richmond died of AIDS on Aug. 13, 1989.
The Richmond episode was a clear indication that NASCAR wasn’t sheltered from unpleasant things in our culture – be they drugs or a little-understood terminal illness.
It had to adapt, and it did so when, eventually, it announced it was implementing an official drug testing policy.
Today, many are saying it is insufficient and ineffective. But for now, NASCAR stands by it.
But as time progressed and our culture changed, there came drug- or illness-related revelations and incidents in other sports that forced them to take some kind of action to protect their integrity.
Although it was some time later, the same happened to NASCAR.
It wasn’t one single incident; rather it was a series of them, coupled with rampant rumors, that surrounded one driver – Tim Richmond.
Richmond came into NASCAR in the early 1980s. NASCAR had never seen the likes of him. He was young, handsome, flamboyant, outspoken and cocky – and blessed with raw talent.
He was a winning driver by the time he hooked up with team owner Rick Hendrick in 1986. Richmond had a stellar season with Hendrick. He won seven times in 29 races, with 13 finishes among the top five and 17 among the top 10. He finished third in the point standings.
But even before 1986, rumors circulated about Richmond. Most of them were about his carousing, erratic behavior and seemingly routine bouts of ill health. Several drivers privately expressed their concerns to NASCAR.
During the winter of 1986, Richmond entered a hospital with a reported case of double pneumonia. He recovered but entered only eight races with Hendrick in 1987 and won two of them.
He never raced again. He tried to enter the Daytona 500 in 1988 but failed perhaps the first drug test NASCAR ever announced to the public. It was revealed that Richmond had high doses of over-the-counter medicines in his system.
He passed a second test, but NASCAR refused to let him race. Richmond sued, but the issue never went to court – largely because Richmond would not give NASCAR his medical records.
Richmond died of AIDS on Aug. 13, 1989.
The Richmond episode was a clear indication that NASCAR wasn’t sheltered from unpleasant things in our culture – be they drugs or a little-understood terminal illness.
It had to adapt, and it did so when, eventually, it announced it was implementing an official drug testing policy.
Today, many are saying it is insufficient and ineffective. But for now, NASCAR stands by it.
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Other Recent Blog Entries by Steve Waid
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- The episode that forced NASCAR to adapt -
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