Denny Hamlin, not new to NASCAR controversy, rocked the NASCAR nation on Friday. The driver of the Joe Gibbs #11 Toyota said on “Pardon My Take” podcast that “70%’’ of the drivers in the Monster Energy Series used Adderall.
Denny Hamlin Rocks NASCAR with Drug Comment
Adderall is a medication often prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder. In 2012, driver A.J. Allmendinger tested positive for amphetamines and was suspended by NASCAR. Allmendinger said at the time he had taken a single pill of Adderall. Adderall contains compounds of amphetamines. Adderall is on the list of NASCAR’s banned substances. Waivers can be obtained with Doctor’s certification.
David Black, who oversaw NASCAR’s testing program from 2009 thru 2016 pushed back on Hamlin’s statement saying that Hamlin’s numbers cannot be true. Black defended NASCAR’s drug testing program saying that safety is the primary motive in its drug testing.
Hamlin was later called to the NASCAR hauler for a chat with NASCAR officials. Later, Hamlin backtracked on his remarks telling Jeff Gluck of JeffGluck.com, “I literally said we get drug tested all the time. When they asked me how many (drivers), I said I didn’t know. They said just give us a number and I said 70% just joking around.”
Hamlin’s comments can’t be popular among his peers in the NASCAR garage. I imagine that when he’s looking for a friend or two to push his car on Sunday some may indeed look elseware for a partner.
David Ragan, who starts in 15th position for Sunday’s Daytona 500 doubts Hamlin’s claim. “I can’t imagine that is true. I’m afraid to even take a Tylenol. I don’t feel the need for adding any stimulus besides good food.”
NASCAR provided the following statement:
“NASCAR conducts random drug tests regulary, and among the list of prohibited substances is amphetamines. If any competitor is found to have tested positive for a substance taken without a prescription, NASCAR has a zero-tolerance policy and the member will be indefinitely suspended. Simply put, NASCAR is confident in its drug testing program.”
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