“They Went and Snitched on Me”- Troubled NASCAR Driver Opens Up on the Failed Drug Test That Changed His Career Trajectory

Before NASCAR became a popular sport, it was raw, unapologetic, and unfiltered. Back in the day, drivers like Dick Trickle, David Pearson, and Harry Gant smoked while racing on the track. And some drivers even installed special lighters in their cars. As crooked as it might sound, that was a reality back then. But one incident in particular drew a line on how NASCAR would want to present itself, and that came in 2003, where they implimented anti-drug policy.

NASCAR wanted to keep the drivers and racing clean, and therefore by the early 2000s, they had a substance abuse policy, giving the sanctioning body the right to administer drug tests at any moment based on “reasonable suspicion.” During the Richmond race in 2003, Shane Hmeil got in trouble after a fight following the race. And it turns out, the crew he hung around with him ratted him out.

Sharing the details of the 2003 race where he tested positive for ma***uana, Hmeil revealed, “So I was fighting hard, trying to get the 10th. I about crashed it out at 2, only because Keller was there. They come out wanting to fight. Me and Keller get to throwing each other around. That’s what actually made I’d been smoking pot with his mechanics. So what happened, they went and snitched on me. And they said, he smokes pot,” said Hmeil on Dale Jr. Download.

Hmeil added further on this while speaking to Dale Jr., “You know I failed in that drug test, worked out great for me because what happened to where it turned out where I’m at today, I would not be here. I hadn’t ever changed my life that day. I have to thank NASCAR for that.”

Jeremy Mayfield, AJ Allmendinger, and Kevin Grub are some of the other known NASCAR driver who have been faced disciplinary action under NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy. But none of the drivers managed a comeback like Hmeil, despite being barred to race in the top division.

Shane’s father, Steve, was a veteran driver who competed against the greats like Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin. And while the initial thrill and buzz of substance abuse gave Shane a false sense of confidence, the failed tests and his suspension from NASCAR were his start to recovery.

“My dad’s been around forever. He doesn’t deserve that. But I had thought about it so long, I’d decided, s***, I knew it was going to happen,” Shane said in an interview, quoted by ESPN. As it turned out, Hmeil had access to drugs early in his life and he had to undergo a recovery process. And throughout this journey, NASCAR supported his fight against addiction.

“I got the text for Steve O’Donnell. He’s the first person that tested me and now he’s the CEO. So that’s the CEO of NASCAR to a guy that was banned one time, that fixed his life. It was hard,” Hmeil got emotional while sharing this with Dale Jr. In 2007, Hmeil checked himself at Talbot Recovery Center in Atlanta, and after going 1,300 days sober, he finally left TRC in October 2007.

By 2010, Hmeil had rebuilt his reputation within the racing community and started racing in late modified on dirt tracks. He went on to make history in 2010 by winning the Hoosier 100 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis; the Rich Vogler Classic at Winchester, Ind, and the Pat O’Connor Memorial at Salem, Ind. These are the crown jewels of sprint car racing, and even Tony Stewart was left in awe of Hmeil’s achievements.

“You have to have some serious nuts to win those races. They’re the crown jewel races in sprint cars,” Stewart said. This was a remarkable comeback by a driver who was at his lowest when he was fighting his battle against drugs, but fought his way back to the racetrack. Making it one of the most influential comeback stories the sport has ever witnessed.

The post “They Went and Snitched on Me”- Troubled NASCAR Driver Opens Up on the Failed Drug Test That Changed His Career Trajectory appeared first on EssentiallySports.