NASCAR drug policy stuck in reverse

Brian France has been hanging around the garage too long because the fumes seem to be messing with his senses.

He’s talking a bit loopy.

The NASCAR chairman last week proclaimed his sport’s drug-testing policy the toughest in professional sports, this after a federal judge overturned the indefinite suspension of driver Jeremy Mayfield by questioning the results of a positive test for methamphetamines.

It couldn’t have been a difficult decision for His Honor. There are more holes in NASCAR’s drug policy than the cars have logos.

“We remain very comfortable and very calm despite the ruling, that our policy is thorough, it’s accurate and it’s fair,” France told the Associated Press on Friday at Daytona International Speedway, site of Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race.

Did this guy just roll out of Jeff Spicoli’s van?

To proclaim the policy fair is akin to 5-foot-6-inch David Eckstein proclaiming himself major league baseball’s tallest player. It’s idiotic.

NASCAR’s policy and procedures fall below those of baseball, football, basketball and even hockey, the latter of which offers a testing program with the teeth of a worm.

It is true, it must be noted, that NASCAR’s system ranks slightly above that of World Wrestling Entertainment, which means Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards and the guys are tested under more stringent guidelines than Edge and CM Punk.

Bully for them.

Fact: Any legitimate testing program is defined by its effectiveness and independence, the central theme of George Mitchell’s report on steroids in baseball.

NASCAR runs its entire testing program. There are no union employees to help negotiate effective polices, to assure the balance and fairness France amazingly speaks about. There is no transparency to the entire process, no complete list of banned substances provided to drivers.

Why should someone such as Kyle Busch be expected to pick up a telephone every time he is unsure about what he can and can’t put into his body?

There is no basis for how results are collected and recorded, no oversight of any kind outside NASCAR suits and their own laboratory, no arbitration procedure for a swift and final resolution, no binding sanctions in place, no avenue for grievance, no route for appeal before someone is suspended indefinitely, no observance of federal guidelines that allow someone 72 hours to have an independent lab test a sealed backup sample in order to challenge a positive result.

It is a system ripe for countless allegations of cover-ups and self-interest verdicts.

This is a case of zero tolerance equaling zero brain cells by those running things.

And you wonder why a federal judge lifted Mayfield’s suspension? How in the world did it take more than five minutes to rule, much less two hours of arguments?

“I think (NASCAR’s testing program) fails to meet some if not all factors on a list of effective policies,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. “The (Mayfield case) is an example of what can go horribly wrong without an effective policy. At the end of the day, it’s a terrible situation for clean drivers.

“With (Mayfield), you either have someone who got off on a technicality due to a poor policy or someone who was falsely accused, neither of which is fair or acceptable. Clean drivers and their owners ought to be very nervous given this policy and example.

“I’m glad NASCAR has a policy. A few years ago, they didn’t. But maybe like others over time, they’ll learn the lesson of having a bad one like this and take the necessary steps to make it good. Clean drivers deserve that.”

If I’m a motor sports sponsor, I’m equally leery. It’s another issue NASCAR needs to recognize: how the Mayfield case might cause those who invest millions of dollars to pause when moving forward. At the least, the sponsors writing hefty checks should be asking more questions.

I don’t know if Mayfield is a meth addict or really did mix an allergy medication with a prescription drug for attention deficit disorder, but I understand why other drivers would be terrified to race beside him without being completely sure.

Who wants to be racing at 185 miles an hour alongside Ricky Bobby when he’s jacked up on a gallon of moonshine or meth or his drug of choice?

I also understand why owners would refuse to put Mayfield behind the wheel while publicly backing those who run their sport.

What no one should understand or accept is someone in France’s position continuing to champion NASCAR’s testing policy as thorough and accurate and fair, because that’s impossible to know with a system that lacks a shred of effectiveness and transparency and independence.

Look, drug testing among U.S. professional sports is still at laughable levels compared to how the World Anti-Doping Agency tests and handles its athletes. But that shouldn’t excuse a policy as unfair as NASCAR’s. Mayfield and his attorneys discovered a loophole in a weak system and argued it well enough to win in court for now.

It doesn’t mean he’s a druggie.

It doesn’t mean he isn’t.

What it means is someone should hand Brian France and the rest of NASCAR’s autocracy some towels.

You know, to dry up the water pouring from all the holes in their drug testing program.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at 702-383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.