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Kurt Busch's Take: NASCAR should give drivers a clear list of banned drugs
Kurt Busch wants specifics on NASCAR's drug policies. The International Olympic Committee uses the World Anti-doping Agency list; why not NASCAR? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
By Mike Mulhern
mikemulhern.net
CHARLOTTE
Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Cup series champion, says the stock car racing sanctioning body should provide its drivers with a definitive list of banned drugs, instead of leaving it, as Busch called it "open-ended."
The issue of NASCAR's still somewhat mysterious drug testing policies is news because last Saturday officials banned Jeremy Mayfield from the sport, as driver and as owner, for violating its substance abuse policy.
However NASCAR has refused to disclose what specific drug, or drug combination, it feels Mayfield has been abusing.
Busch, who suffers from severe allergies and takes medications for that, says NASCAR's nebulous drug policies should be changed.
Busch made the comments while attending Thursday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup pit crew championships. He was one of only a handful of Cup drivers actually at Charlotte's downtown arena for the event.
It is unclear if Busch is speaking for more drivers than just himself. But he did not shy away from the delicate discussion, and he is not only a NASCAR champion but he is also third in the Cup tour standings and having one of his best seasons in years.
"In the circumstances that brought this up, with Jeremy Mayfield, it seems we don't know the whole story," Busch says.
"In the drug testing scenario, we don't know what they're testing for. It's very open-ended.
"Those are the rules that have been given us.
"So I like it but I don't like it, at the same time. It's very open-ended.
"But those are the rules we have to live by.
"It would be nice if there were a set of rules, or guidelines, they could give to us…and then we would know what they are.
"But we don't know what they are. It's just hard. They won't give you a set of guidelines."
The World Doping Association, an independent operation with strong ties to the International Olympic Committee (the IOC funds a large part of the WDA budget), has an annual list of specifically prohibited medications.
You can read that list HERE.
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I'm still curious to see what
I'm still curious to see what Mayfield was actually suspended for. He never came off as the "druggie" type. There are about 3-4 drivers that I would not have been surprised if they were suspended for drugs, but Mayfield was not one of them. NASCAR should have a list of what is prohibited so that there is no gray area for them to decide after the fact. The allergy medications can be abused, but they can also show up as a positive test for possible illegals when taken at prescription strength or mixed with the wrong drug. Mayfield has not vehemenently denied this positive test, so there may be more to it than what I originally thought. Then again, when one tries to show NASCAR is wrong they only wind up getting penalized somehow on the track.
Yes, i agree. NASCAR has to
Yes, i agree. NASCAR has to open up on this entire issue....
Auto racing is obviously
Auto racing is obviously different than almost all other sports since there is a need to check more for performance altering than for performance enhancing drugs - and new drugs come on the market almost daily.
I have heard Elliott Sadler say that all Cup drivers have Dr. Black's cell phone number and can call him at any time to ask questions.
This whole story is another example of the increasingly superficial way in which NASCAR is covered by the media. IF there is a problem with the testing system, where were the media questions last year when it was adopted? Last year the media was more interested in criticizing NASCAR for not changing its old system sooner. What sort of drug testing systems do IRL, ALMS, and F1 have? I have not seen any of the articles on the Mayfield suspension mention other series.
It sure is fascinating to compare how most of the so-called NASCAR media is commenting on the Mayfield suspension versus how the mainstream sports media is crucifying Manny Ramirez.
Richard in N.C.
Well, to be honest, there is
Well, to be honest, there is virtually no media left covering NASCAR....and little media left in the U.S. covering anything much. One of the few NASCAR journalists left, David Poole, just died, which pretty much leaves the game up to AP's Jenna Fryer and a number of small web journalists covering the sport (like moi). Newspapers all across the country have simply abandoned their journalistic duties....and what else do we have?
I don't know this Dr. Black; NASCAR has never brought him to the dai for us to meet. He's probably very good at his job....but why he hasn't been front-and-center in the Mayfield debate is odd, I think. And when the suspension was first announced, at Darlington, why didn't NASCAR president Mike Helton and CEO Brian France come in to meet the media and discuss the issue?
Problems with the new system were raised (by me at least) when the new policy was announced last fall. It would simply seem logical for NASCAR to adopt the same stringent drug policies that the International Olympic Committee uses, wouldn't it?
Comparing the Mayfield and Manny situations might be interesting....think that Ramirez got to spend several weeks negotiating his situation and penalities....dont think Mayfield got much time at all to consider things...and NASCAR's timeline of who knew what when has been changed by NASCAR executives -- a very curious situation, which is being pressed hard by AP's Fryer, who is trying to determine why NASCAR would change the Mayfield time line....
Of course my basic question -- knowing NASCAR -- is why did the sanctioning body make such a big deal out of Mayfield's suspension. If NASCAR wanted to kick him out of the sport, it can do that behind closed doors. The current rush of publicity doesn't seem to be putting NASCAR in good light, particularly with Mayfield's insistence that he's innocent.
I see that the WDA list is a
I see that the WDA list is a 9 page long list of chemical substances and appears to be primarily performance enhancers, stimulants, and illegal substances. Racing has an added element in that substances, or combinations, that might inhibit response need to be banned or restricted also. If a runner passes out that is unlikely to affect anyone but that person, unlike racing where a driver passing out or reacting too slowly would affect others. Also I did not see anything on the WDA list about unsafe drug combinations. It seems to me that drivers and crewmen being able to check a particular substance or combination with a trained professional is better for all concerned than a list that invariably would have to be noted as not necessarily complete.
I have yet to see anyone refer to the substance use restrictions for Indy car, ALMS, F1, or NHRA.
Since I am not in the garage I don't know how the announcement of Mayfield's suspension and 2 crewmen differed from the 3 previous suspensions in 2009 - but maybe deterrence was a factor. It does seem curious that Mayfield apparently had no problem with the NASCAR system when 1 of his crewmen was suspended earlier this year. What's good for the goose isn't good for the gander?
I suspect that one thing NASCAR wants to avoid is being put in the position of having to announce that Joe Blow has tested positive for X illegal substance, which could be the case if they start announcing the substance found.
At the same time, apparently no one in the media took the opportunity Saturday night to ask Mayfield in public, on camera whether he would then and there make a public demand that NASCAR release the results of his tests.
Richard in N.C.
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