Doping in auto racing

Did You Know?

• The FIA adopted the banned substance list issued by WADA and added alcohol and beta blockers to it.
• IndyCar may require a drug test in events of 'reasonable suspicion', including violent temper or an accident during the event.
• USAC has a self-determined list of banned substances, excluding prescription medication used as instructed.

NASCAR

NASCAR introduced its substance abuse policy in the late 1980s. In 2007, Truck Series driver Aaron Fike was arrested for heroin possession and admitted using black tar heroin during race weekends; he was suspended until 2012 after completing the Road to Recovery program. Jeremy Mayfield failed a drug test for methamphetamine in 2009 and tested positive again after sitting out the initial penalty; he could return after completing the Road to Recovery but questioned the credibility of the testing laboratory (NASCAR switched laboratories in 2017).

Following these cases, the policy was overhauled. A. J. Allmendinger was suspended in 2012 after testing positive for Adderall, which he said he took unknowingly; his suspension was lifted that September. Spencer Gallagher won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race on 28 April 2018, was suspended indefinitely on 1 May for violating the substance abuse policy, and missed seven races before the suspension was lifted after joining the Road to Recovery program.

Upon a positive test, the person is suspended indefinitely and must complete the Road to Recovery and have an approved plan including treatment, rehabilitation, and counseling. Drivers and crew members can be tested; crew chief Todd Parrott tested positive for an undisclosed substance, and Germain Racing crew chief Matt Borland tested positive for methylhexanamine (DMAA), which he attributed to drinking diet coffee. The NASCAR policy is consistent with the FIA's policy.

World Racing Group

After the death of sprint car driver Kevin Ward, Jr., toxicology reports found marijuana in his system, leading the World Racing Group, sanctioning body of the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar series, to begin regular testing of sprint car and late model drivers in 2017. Testing is done through urinalysis, with random selection on the day of the event treating full-season and part-time drivers equally. A positive test results in a fine and a ban from competition; after three failed tests, a driver can return only after two negative tests and approval from the World Racing Group.

Justin Ratliff was the first driver penalized, refusing a drug test after the 2017 DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in February, receiving a fine and a 90-day suspension. Brian Lay tested positive after the World of Outlaws event at Eldora Speedway in June 2017 and was fined for a first offense. Jacob Hawkins failed a drug test in July after the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway. Scott Bloomquist had two incidents in 2018: after winning the Dirt Late Model Dream he fell after the victory ceremony, sustaining a rotator cuff injury and evading the test; later, after being selected among 16 drivers at Lernerville Speedway, he refused to provide a urine sample despite multiple requests over five hours and was suspended for 90 days.

Justin Peck tested positive for a marijuana metabolite and was suspended for 90 days after Eldora Speedway. Chris Martin tested positive for a marijuana metabolite after the Knoxville Nationals and was suspended for 90 days.

Stock Car Brasil

The Stock Car Brasil organization operates under the Brazilian Auto Racing Confederation (CBA) anti-doping legislation, which is based on FIA rules. After the death of Rafael Sperafico in 2007, driver Renato Russo raised concerns about safety and the lack of an anti-drug policy. Stock Car Light driver Paulo Salustiano was the first penalized under the new system, testing positive for Finasteride after the first race of the 2008 season; he claimed it was in a hair product and was stripped of his win and points and received a 30-day suspension.

Former Minardi Formula One driver Tarso Marques tested positive for anabolic steroids after the final race of the 2009 season; he continued competing pending an appeal, but the suspension was upheld and he was banned for two years. After the Velopark round in 2012, Alceu Feldmann received a 24-month suspension for refusing a drug test, and Marcos Gomes tested positive and returned after a 30-day suspension. Raphael Matos and Lucas Foresti were suspended during the 2015 season; Foresti tested positive for anabolic steroids, which he denied, and Matos had his license suspended for two years by the CBA.

Matos returned to competition in the ACCUS-governed Sports Car Club of America-sanctioned Trans-Am Series after his suspension expired, finishing second in the TA2 class at the 2017 Motor City 100. Because the CBA and ACCUS are both FIA member clubs, each must honor such FIA-related drug suspensions.

Notable cases

During the 2002 International Formula 3000 Championship, Czech racer Tomáš Enge tested positive after the race at the Hungaroring. He raced the remaining rounds while under investigation and won the championship, but the FIA determined in October that the test was positive, disqualifying him from the Hungaroring round. Enge dropped to third in the standings, and Sébastien Bourdais became champion. In 2012, Enge again tested positive for a banned substance after the FIA GT1 Navarra round, claiming it was for medical purposes; he was banned from motorsport for 18 months and returned in 2014 in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Twelve-year-old Igor Waliłko tested positive for Nikethamide after a round of the German Karting Championship; initially suspended for two years, the sentence was reduced to 18 months on appeal, and he resumed karting and later moved to car racing in Euroformula Open and Porsche Carrera Cup. Montagny tested positive for a cocaine derivative (Benzoylecgonine) after the 2014 Putrajaya ePrix; he was disqualified from the race but kept his championship points and podium from the previous race.

After a second positive test, he was banned from motorsport for two years, and his ban was lifted on 23 December 2016, though he has not competed since. Anthony Kumpen, former FIA GT1 driver and two-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Elite 1 champion, tested positive for amphetamines after the 2018 24 Hours of Zolder. He claimed he used the ADHD medicine Dexedrine, but the commission found no doctor's receipt or evidence of the medication at his home; the Flemish anti-doping agency suspended him for four years and fined him €2,000.