NASCAR community discusses possibility of Adderall usage in NASCAR
Denny Hamlin appeared on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” where he made a few bold statements. Though, it should be noted that the show is a loose based sports show.
Hamlin was asked if NASCAR drivers took Adderall. He responded “Hmmm, I would say yes.” Then, Hamlin was asked to put a number on it, “70 percent.”
Adderall is a drug that creates a laser light beam of focus for its user. So much so that it’s nicknamed the ‘Focus drug.’
Hamlin was called into a meeting with NASCAR after his comments. Since Hamlin’s appearance on the sports show he has insisted that he was joking.
“Anyone who has listened to their podcast, they’re funny, joking around and they’re not serious whatsoever and they make jokes about a lot of things,” Hamlin told ESPN after the meeting with NASCAR.
After that meeting, Pockrass asked Hamlin the same question again.
“Probably not,” Hamlin said. “Realistically, no. … We get drug tested all the time and NASCAR has a zero [tolerance] policy for anybody that does anything that’s not prescription.”
“I literally said we get drug-tested all the time,” Hamlin told Jeff Gluck. “When they asked me how many (drivers), I said I didn’t know, and they said, ‘Just give us a number,’ and I joked around and gave them a number that has no fact behind it. It’s getting blown up.”
“I can’t imagine that that’s true,” fellow driver David Ragan told USA Today in regards to the 70% claim. “I’m not. I’m afraid to even take Tylenol. I don’t feel like I need any kind of stimulus beyond good food. I try to eat my greens. The drivers I’m around most, I can’t imagine being involved in that.”
“NASCAR conducts random drug tests regularly, and among the list of prohibited substances is amphetamines,” NASCAR issued a statement early in the weekend. “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.”
Drug Free Sport conducts the random tests on current NASCAR drivers. The 2018 Daytona 500 is underway now.
