Confirmed: Allmendinger tests turned up amphetamines
Wednesday, Jul. 25, 2012
NDIANAPOLIS – Sprint Cup Series driver A.J. Allmendinger has agreed to enter NASCAR's Road to Recovery program, one day after failing a second drug test.
Tara Ragan, vice president of Walldinger Racing and Allmendinger's business manager, also confirmed Allmendinger tested positive for amphetamines in both his A and B samples of the random drug test that brought about his indefinite suspension by NASCAR.
Previously, Ragan had said only that Allmendinger tested positive for a “stimulant.”
NASCAR officials would neither confirm nor deny Ragan's statement, citing their policy of not naming the substance that causes a positive drug test.
Allmendinger must complete the program in order to be reinstated, although there is no guarantee there will be a job waiting for him. Recovery programs can last from a few months to a year or more.
Ragan said Allmendinger was still hoping to receive additional information on exactly what type of amphetamine caused his positive test.
“We're all operating in new territory here, dealing with chemical compounds and pharmaceuticals,” she said. “We're just hoping to get the most information possible.
“We have said from the beginning we fully support NASCAR's drug testing program and A.J. wants to begin the Recovery program as soon as possible.”
Allmendinger, who drives the No. 22 Dodge for Penske Racing, was temporarily suspended by NASCAR on July after failing a random drug test give the weekend prior at Kentucky Speedway.
Allmendinger was indefinitely suspended on Tuesday when the results of a test of his B sample confirmed the results of the first test.
Earlier Wednesday in another interview, Ragan said Allmendinger still did not know what caused his positive test.
NASCAR spokesman David Higdon and Dr. David Black, director of NASCAR's testing program, disputed that statement saying Allmendinger was told on July 7 the substance for which he tested positive.
Ragan said she was only referring to not knowing exactly what amphetamine caused the result.
“We are all on the same page,” she said. “I apologize if there was any misunderstanding. There are many substances classified as amphetamines and we're trying to get as specific information as possible.”
More racing news, blogs, photos and more at www.ThatsRacin.com.
The Charlotte Observer is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since charlotteobserver.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The Charlotte Observer.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking on the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.
