DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR on Thursday suspended driver Shane Hmiel indefinitely for violation of the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy. It is the second time in less than two years that Hmiel has been suspended for substance abuse.
Hmiel was in Dover, Del., preparing for Saturday's MBNA RacePoints 200. He was replaced by Ron Hornaday in the No. 32 Chevrolet fielded by Braun Racing.
NASCAR officials said that Hmiel tested positive for banned substances after Busch Series qualifying at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The positive test violates Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and Section 12-4-E (violation of the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy) of the 2005 NASCAR rule book.
Hmiel, who is 14th in the Busch Series point standings, was suspended indefinitely in September 2003 for the same offenses.
To emphasize the importance of a substance-free sport, NASCAR, in 1988, created its Substance Abuse Policy. The policy provides for testing under reasonable suspicion, an approach that is well suited to NASCAR because of the close and continuing contact between officials and competitors.
As a result of his positive test in 2003, Hmiel was released by his Busch Series team, Innovative Motorsports. Ironically, it also was at Dover where Hmiel was unseated.
Hmiel was cleared to return to competition by NASCAR in February 2004. His reinstatement carried several conditions, among them random drug testing at NASCAR's discretion.
