NASCAR statement on test of Allmendinger's B sample

NASCAR Statement

   DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 17, 2012) NASCAR has been informed by the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy Program Administrator (Dr. David Black of Aegis Sciences Corporation) that the test of AJ Allmendinger’s "B" sample will take place on Tuesday, July 24. The test will be conducted in Nashville, Tennessee at Aegis headquarters, per the NASCAR rule book.

   Review of timeline:

   ·     On June 29, NASCAR member Allmendinger, driver of the #22 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was randomly tested by Aegis at the NASCAR event in Kentucky, per Section 19-6C.

  

   · On July 4, the Program Administrator (PA) sent a positive "A" sample test result to the program’s Medical Review Officer (MRO) Dr. Douglas Aukerman, M.D., and on July 5, Aegis sent final paperwork to the MRO, per Section 19-11, which allows him to begin his review.

   · On July 6, the MRO and competitor exchanged phone messages.

   · On July 7, the MRO connected by phone with the NASCAR member and informed him of the positive "A" test. The MRO also informed him he could choose to have the "B" sample tested, per Section 19-11A, B.

  

   · Later that day, July 7, the MRO notified NASCAR of the positive "A" test, and NASCAR temporarily suspended the NASCAR member, as stated in Section 19-11B(6,7).

  

   · The NASCAR member officially notified the MRO on July 9 of his request to have his "B" sample tested, which was within the allotted 72-hour window from the time he was informed that his "A" sample was positive, per Section 19-11B.

   · Once a member requests to have the "B" sample tested, NASCAR’s substance abuse policy provides its members up to 30 business days to have the "B" sample test conducted and results finalized, per Sec. 19-11B(5). These 30 days are designed to provide the member with reasonable time to prepare to attend the "B" sample test or be represented by a qualified toxicologist, per Sec. 19-11B(2).

   · On July 17, the PA informed NASCAR that the NASCAR member made the decision to select Tuesday, July 24, for the "B" test and has designated an independent toxicologist to be present on his behalf.

B Sample Test Set for Allmendinger

   Statement from Tara Ragan, Vice President, Walldinger Racing Inc.
   Charlotte, NC (July 17, 2012)

   “We now have a confirmed date for the testing of AJ’s “B” (split specimen) Sample. The test will take place on Tuesday, July 24 at 8 a.m. CDT and be conducted at the Aegis Analytical Laboratories in Nashville. Pursuant to the 2012 NASCAR Rulebook and in line with the procedures, we have elected to have a designated independent toxicologist present on AJ’s behalf.  Along with everyone else, we are looking forward to hearing the results as quickly as possible. AJ and all of us at Walldinger Racing have truly appreciated the outpouring of support from our fans, partners, and colleagues. It has meant a lot to us during this difficult time. We are also grateful to Mr. Penske and his management team for their patience and respect of the process we are going through.”

Chartwell looks to leave RCR

   Richard Childress Racing has advised its employees, drivers and key sponsors that Chartwell Investments is considering exiting its minority equity position in RCR.

   "Since 2003, I have had a minority partner at RCR in Chartwell Investments," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "Like any private equity business, Chartwell has a duty to its investors to return capital and maximize profits in a reasonable time frame. With my support, they have determined that now is an appropriate time to exit their investment in RCR. Chartwell has been a great partner and I will always be appreciative of our partnership. We will remain good friends.

   "We have informed the key people and sponsors of RCR about Chartwell's decision and assured them this will have no impact on the current affairs at RCR or our continued vision for strong performance on and off the track. We have advised them that if a new investor comes on board as RCR's new partner they will be strategically chosen to help RCR continue to grow. Our family of corporate partners has all been very appreciative of our letting them know and remain committed to moving forward. I love what I do and plan to be involved in NASCAR and in running RCR for many years to come."

    Michael Shein, Managing Partner of Chartwell Investments, said the organization has engaged The Raine Group to explore the potential sale of its interest in RCR. The Raine Group is a global merchant bank focused exclusively on the digital, media & entertainment and sports & lifestyle sectors.

Time for some facts on NASCAR's drug testing policy

   Everyone in NASCAR - and outside - is full of theories about what may or may not have triggered A.J. Allmendinger's failed random drug test. Much of the speculation has been triggered by carefully worded - but hardly specific - statements issued on his behalf by his business manager. Outside "experts" have also offered their own theories on what "could" have triggered the result.

   Almost ALL of these stories/theories/hypotheses can be rejected outright based simply on facts already in existence.

   Let's review:

   Fact No. 1: NASCAR and A.J. Allmendinger already know EXACTLY the substance that triggered the positive result. No further testing is needed to determine the substance.

   Fact No. 2: A.J. Allmendinger has already been offered the opportunity to provide any plausible explanation for a positive test result to the Medical Review Officer and those explanations were rejected.
   From the NASCAR Cup Series rulebook, Section 19-10: A form will be provided "to be completed by the NASCAR member that identifies all prescription and over-the-counter medications consumed by the NASCAR member in the preceding THREE months." NASCAR Members can submit the information in any way they choose.
   In addition, before the MRO notifies NASCAR of the results of a positive 'A' sample, the MRO contacted Allmendinger again to provide any plausible explanation for the positive test.  

   Fact. No. 3: The testing of Allmendinger's 'B' sample will involve NO additional testing that wasn't done for the 'A' sample.
   In the NASCAR Cup Series rulebook, Section 19-11, Part B, No. 3: "The 'B' Sample test will be performed in accordance with the SAME procedures used by Aegis in the original test of the 'A' specimen."

   Fact No. 4: NASCAR would not have suspended Allmendinger before giving him a chance to ask for the 'B' sample to be tested unless the substance in question could cause a danger to himself or other competitors.
   In the NASCAR Cup Series rulebook, Section 19-11, Part B, No. 7: "Upon notification of the original 'A' specimen positive test, NASCAR, in its sole discretion, may temporarily suspend a NASCAR Member's license before the 'B' sample test is completed based on the following reasons:
   (a) Concerns regarding the safety of the NASCAR Members and others at the Event or on-track.
   (b) Concerns regarding the fairness of a competition.
   (c) Exigent circumstances
   (d) Undue delay to accommodate the presence of the NASCAR Member at the 'B' sample test."
   Note: As part of routine MRO practice, every time a competitor or official is informed of an 'A' positive, the MRO asks whether he or she wishes to have the 'B' sample tested. NASCAR Members are officially given 72 hours to make the request.

   If you take these four facts of NASCAR's drug testing policy into account, you will find almost all of the theories, speculation, gossip and other explanations offered over the last week will be found to be completely irrelevant.

Stenhouse OK after passing out following Nationwide race

   Reigning Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished fifth in Saturday's race at New Hampshire but shortly after completing a radio interview on pit road, he collapsed. He was treated and released from the infield care center a short time later. 

   The following interview was done with Stenhouse after he was released from the care center:

    Stenhouse: "I feel OK now. They gave me some fluids and got good to go. I think just being a little sick all week, not eating much and not drinking enough fluids caught up with me after the race. I think we’ll be good to go now.”

   Did you feel it at all in the car?
   Stenhouse: "I’ve felt it all week being really tired, not eating and not drinking any fluids so that part of it I definitely felt it in the race car, but I don’t think it slowed us down any. When I’m in there, I’m driving as hard as I can every lap. I got sick after the race in Daytona on Friday night and kind of let it go throughout the weekend and was hoping it would get better,
but it never did. It’s probably my fault that we ended up like this.”

   What will you have to do to be ready for next week?
   Stenhouse: “The good thing is it’s a Sunday race, so I’ve got all week to get the fluids in me and get better. Hopefully, within the next couple days I’ll feel a little bit better and eat a little bit more. I normally drink plenty of fluids and never have the issue of getting light-headed after the race or anything like that. My throat hurt throughout the whole week.
I didn’t really want to drink or eat anything and it caught up with me. Yesterday and today I drank plenty of fluids, but you’ve got to do it before, so I think we should be OK for Chicago.”

Brad Keselowski: In my opinion

   Brad Keselowski was very clear: He thought his opinion on NASCAR's drug policy probably wasn't share by many, or perhaps anyone other than himself.

   And he didn't think much of Carl Edwards' idea of drivers' collectively organizing an independent group to do testing in tandem with NASCAR.

   His comment, as is typical for Keselowski, were straight-forward and well thought out. This is what he said:

   “I’ve read all the same things, listened to what everybody has had to say and there’s a lot of different takes on what it means. You know, I think I have different views than most everybody else does on it. I’m certainly not supportive of Carl’s idea. I don’t think that there’s a place for things like that. I don’t think we need more politics involved in the sport and that’s what groups like that bring in. I think it’s a greater question to me of when I look at the issue at hand with A.J., there have been some people who said it doesn’t matter what it was. I disagree with that. I think it does matter what it was. It does to me. It might not to everybody else but it matters to me what it was because there’s always going to be that level of uncertainty that I have over any athlete or driver that performs at these levels and what they’re taking or not taking. 

   "It’s so difficult to give a great explanation of how I feel about it but I think that I want to believe that any performer or athlete out there would not be dumb enough to take a drug that is against the law, illegal. It just stands to reason that if you’ve made it this far in the sport that you’ve had the knowledge to not do anything that dumb. But I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s what it was. I hope it wasn’t. I hope it was something simple, you know, a stimulant or whatever release he put out. If that’s the case, it does make a difference. It makes a huge difference because it’s my personal belief and I’ve gone through the injuries and so forth. I think you guys saw that last year. It’s my personal belief that nothing should be allowed, nothing. I don’t feel like you should be able to take Flintstone (vitamin) pills. It’s my personal belief. I think you’re race car drivers; you should have to overcome it. I think it’s a bunch of bullshit that people are allowed to take supplements or any of those things. I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think any athlete should be allowed to take that but that’s my own personal beliefs. But where the gray area comes in is what is allowed per the law is not necessarily allowed per whatever drug codes through all these sports. That creates another set of issues. That’s why I think nothing should be allowed.

   “So at the end of the day there are things that are still allowed and who gets to pick and choose what they are I don’t know. I don’t understand that process. I know my own personal code of avoiding it is to take nothing at all. I can still tell you when you go in that room to have a drug test taken, I’ve never taken drugs in my life. I’m scared shitless of it. It’s honestly a phobia of mine. But I go in that room and I’m still scared because you know that if something goes wrong, it’s a death sentence for your career. It’s over. And you know it’s in human hands and by the very nature of being in human hands, there is potential for error. I’d like to sit here and believe that it’s gone through all the processes to make sure that it was done right and that no one would go out on a limb and risk someone’s career if it wasn’t checked, checked and back checked. But I also know that the course of history shows that humans make mistakes even when they check, check and recheck. That’s why airplanes crash. That’s how things go. There are plenty of redundancies in the airlines and they still find a way to crash. So there’s mixed emotions for sure on my end. 

   "I wish that the pool of athletes that compete and make money like we do, whether it’s here today in NASCAR or the NFL or even the Olympics, it would be my preference that you were allowed to take nothing and that it was you’re job to just do it, to just go out there and perform throughout the pain or whatever it is that ails you. But obviously that’s not the situation. Until we get together as a group or as a society and make that a position, there’s always going to be this gray area to where we’re asking ourselves what supplement is right and what’s not, you know, what’s okay and what’s not. I laugh out loud when I read this list of people who say ‘Well I have my supplements checked’ like there’s some special list of supplements that are okay but these aren’t. What kind of world is that? That’s terrible. Nothing should be allowed. Because then it just comes down to who you’ve got for a doctor or a lawyer that says that this is okay and this is not. And I think that we all know that you can get a doctor or a lawyer these days to say you’re okay with anything you do. It reminds me of an old Jeff Foxworthy joke about the difference between, you know, kids and senior citizens. You worry about drugs with both of them. The only difference is that one is legal and one is not. I can remember having grandmas and so forth that took drugs that would knock you out and then couldn’t even stand up. They were all legal you know. They might not be legal in this sport but you still have to wonder about those things. 

   "So I’m sure that I have different views than everyone else. I don’t think there needs to be any committee that approves drugs or supplements or whatever it is. I just think you shouldn’t be allowed to take anything. You should just man-up and drive the damn race car."    

Statement from A.J. Allmendinger's business manager

   Statement from Tara Ragan, Vice President, Walldinger Racing Inc.
   Charlotte, NC (July 11, 2012)

   “In an effort to help our colleagues in the media report on this in a timely and accurate manner, we wanted to provide some additional details regarding AJ’s sample “A” test results. AJ tested positive for a stimulant. He has no idea why the first test was positive, and he has never knowingly taken any prohibited substance. AJ is collecting his medicines and supplements for testing to determine whether an over the counter product caused his positive test. AJ and all of us at Walldinger Racing respect NASCAR's testing program, and he has requested that his "B" sample be tested as part of the process of getting to the bottom of this. We will have the opportunity to review all of the scientific data surrounding the test following the "B" sample test, but our understanding is that AJ's test was slightly above the threshold. As of this morning, we have not been given notice of when the testing of the “B” sample will take place. Thanks again for all of the support of our fans, team, and sponsors as we continue working through the process.”

   -Tara Ragan, Vice President, Walldinger Racing Inc.