NASCAR actually popped someone today. Funny.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nasca...d-nascar-b-sample-test-010124910--nascar.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nasca...d-nascar-b-sample-test-010124910--nascar.html
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JMBeaushrimp said:I wonder how Reeeky Booobie is doing....
Arnout said:Being fresh in a downhill helps for sure. I doubt riders are doping specifically for that though. Being fresh uphill helps more.
gjdavis60 said:So we see the anti-doping mechanisms of another pro sports league at work here. An athlete has tested positive and has been sanctioned according to the rules which include the protocol for reinstatement.
However, the subtext of the situation is also interesting. Allmendinger's career in Sprint Cup is likely over regardless of whether he complies with the reinstatement conditions of the sanctioning body because neither sponsors nor team owners will be interested in investing in him following his positive drug test.
This is effectively a lifetime ban imposed by the teams and the sponsors themselves without any direction from the sanctioning body. An interesting variation on how different pro sports deal with banned substances.
RuSPORT DRIVER A.J. ALLMENDINGER, #10 CHAMP CAR TO
“WEAR YELLOW, LIVE STRONG” IN SUPPORT OF THE
LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION AND PEOPLE LIVING WITH CANCER.
Champ Car World Series Racing Team Will Run With LAF and Livestrong Logos in the Grand Prix of Road America, August 5-8, 2004
ELKHART LAKE, WI — August 4, 2004 — The RuSPORT racing team is showing its support for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and honoring Lance Armstrong’s historic 6th straight Tour de France victory by running the #10 Champ Car in all yellow with LAF and “Livestrong” logos during this weekend’s Grand Prix of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
The RuSPORT team, in its first year in the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series powered by Ford, posted second and third place finishes two weeks ago in the Molson Indy Vancouver. Driver A.J. Allmendinger hopes to again run at the front during this weekend’s grand prix to build awareness of the LAF’s mission to help people with cancer “live strong.”
“This is actually a pretty big honor for me to have the #10 car carry the banner for Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation,” said Allmendinger. “Lance has been such a great role model and inspiration for so many people that I hope I can do my part and deliver the great results this weekend that they deserve. Hopefully, together with Champ Car, we can reach more people and raise even more awareness for this great cause and provide some positive energy for those people living with cancer.”
The team’s support of the LAF caps off a weekend of fundraising activities for the foundation. On Saturday, Allmendinger and fellow Champ Car drivers will take to the track on bicycles during the Tour de Road America. They will cycle the 4-mile track with team members, fans, and local cyclists to reach the goal of raising $25,000 for the LAF.
Volunteers for the LAF will also sell 1,000 “Live Strong” wristbands during the Grand Prix of Road America weekend. Fans are encouraged to stop by the LAF booth to make a donation and sign a banner congratulating Lance on his victory at the Tour de France. All proceeds benefit LAF programs that help young people with cancer live strong.
JMBeaushrimp said:I wonder how Reeeky Booobie is doing....
spetsa said:That is a great point. The real difference here is most likely that the owner of the team did not get where he or she is by using drugs themselves.
gjdavis60 said:I think one of the big differences is that the business model of NASCAR leverages the public images of the drivers to promote sponsors' products; many as outright spokesmen. The association between A.J. Allmendinger, Penske, and the #22 Pennzoil Dodge is heavily promoted in all media that covers NASCAR (ad nauseum). The drivers become synonymous with their sponsors: #24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevy, #48 Jimmy Johnson Lowe's Chevy, #7 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevy, #20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota, #18 Kyle Bush M&M's Toyota, etc. Many of you probably know these associations without even watching NASCAR.
This is how NASCAR works, and why the driver's image is no less important than his or her skills on track. Drivers not only have to be talented, but also marketable. The corollary of this observation is that if a driver's image is tarnished (e.g. by failing a drug test) and they lose their marketability, the sponsor pulls their commitment, and the owner pulls the driver out of the seat, probably for good.
The morality of "clean" racing is tangential to the business of promoting sponsors' products through the sport. But in this case it works effectively to discourage illicit drugs (and other behaviors that are deemed unattractive to the marketing demographic). In a sense, the owners, sponsors, and fans (one might say "the market") police the sport much more aggressively than the sanctioning body.
Oldman said:Cyclists can't land a decent punch as evidenced by a irritated Frenchman during this last Tour.
Libertine Seguros said:Another irritated Frenchman would like a word (and maybe more) with you...
gjdavis60 said:However, the subtext of the situation is also interesting. Allmendinger's career in Sprint Cup is likely over regardless of whether he complies with the reinstatement conditions of the sanctioning body because neither sponsors nor team owners will be interested in investing in him following his positive drug test.
DirtyWorks said:My estimation is if the guy could produce podiums it would be a sanction, then return. Maybe back with a PR program to smooth it out a little, but he'd be back. Lots of prestige associated with wins, so a driver with a less than stellar reputation could be overlooked.
I stopped following the sport a looooong time ago, how many owners are left that consistently win podiums?
Oldman said:I agree and...
Before anyone dumps on 'Muricans for having hypocritical views on sports (considering the Nascar crowd that can't forgive are also the same folks that love NFL smash-mouth football) consider the danger factor of drugs in cars at 200+mph. Formula I would have to approach it the same way as not only the image tarnished but an impaired driver can kill alot of innocent folks.
Cyclists can't land a decent punch as evidenced by a irritated Frenchman during this last Tour.
Jack Ruby said:PED's less valuable in NASCAR.
Most of the cheating on the equipment side.
Given the structure of the points championship, the penalty for in season infractions usually pretty minor.
To some extent Drivers are viewed as light bulb's, totally replaceable, screw one in screw one out.
Kurt Busch, a very talented driver, is close to being out of the sport for basically being a jerk to the media.