NASCAR driver Allmendinger fails drug test
Penske Racing has released driver AJ Allmendinger from their team and NASCAR has indefinitely suspended him from competing in the 2012 Sprint Cup Series after he was found to have failed a drug test.
On July 7, just hours before one of the most publicized races of the Cup, Allmendinger was suspended and told he was unable to race that day at Daytona.
The driver of the No. 22 Dodge Charger said he didn’t knowingly take a banned substance and will be investigating the results with an independent laboratory. Allmendinger tested positive for an amphetamine, his business manager reported. Both his initial test and backup urine tests confirmed the results.
“AJ is a terrific driver, a good person and it is very unfortunate that we have to separate at this time,” team owner Roger Penske said. “We have invested greatly in AJ and we were confident in his success with our team. The decision to dismiss him is consistent with how we would treat any other Penske Racing team member under similar circumstances. As AJ begins NASCAR’s `Road to Recovery’ program, we wish him the best and look forward to seeing him compete again in NASCAR.”
The only way for Allmendinger to return to racing in 2013 is to complete NASCAR’s rehabilitation program. Allmendinger joins fellow NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield, who was suspended for testing positive for methamphetamine in 2009.
