Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Barnstormin-Racing-and-Drugs-are-a-Bad-Combo.html

[1988montecarloss]

Re: Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

Brian, do you write for a magazine?

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

I freelance for a couple.

Drag Racing Action, Hot Rod (haven't done much there for a while, but keep your eyes peeled. I'm making a comeback baby!) and a couple others.

I have a "real" job to pay the mortgage.

Brian

[Bamfster]

Re: Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

More to the point, these are the guys that some hold as "gods" for their ability to drive a race car. Its the same thing with alot of traditional pro sports athletes. The youngsters idolize them when they are actually criminals. The way the organizations and fans give them repeated second chances is rather comical. Everyone knows what is legal and what is not, and I do believe that there are certain circumstances that should be forgiven, but repeated criminal behavior is simply not acceptable. If you want to be a hero athlete to my 11 year old, then act like one.

[Monster]

Re: Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

Just as a racer should not be under the influence of "recreational type drugs" that would ultimately detract from the racer's performance on the track and put innocent bystanders or other racers and crews at risk of personal injury or death, I also believe a racer should not have "performance enhancing drugs" such as steroids, that would provide an advantage or edge over other racers. Same reason why a race vehicle undergoes Technical Inspection to ensure safety and adherence to rules, so should the drivers be "inspected".

That is the reason why there are rules.

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

most sprintt cupp drivers are mere toads compared to the richard pettys , david pearsons and dale earhardts

[JRoberts]

Re: Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

I have mixed feelings about such testing, and it is not based on individual rights. Brian, you are right your rights stop when what you do threatens to harm somebody else, or infringes on their rights.

On one hand I don't want guys on any kind of drug, taken for any reason, on the race track. Brian and White Monster are absolutely right about that. The only way to find out if drivers are using such substances is to have random testing.

However, having been a diabetic for a long, long time. I test my own blood sugar on a frequent basis. I also get other tests done by labs. I have seen how easy it is for such test to put out incorrect readings. Testing is done by human beings and thus cannot be perfect. I would feel really terrible is somebody's reputation and professional standing was hurt by incorrect testing procedures and/or a faulting collecting process. Thus my mixed feelings.

Then......what about alcohol? How long after consumption does it have an affect on a driver's ability to make the snap decisions needed in many racing situations?

Unfortunately I don't have the answers, only the questions.

[kotsenieric]

Re: Barnstormin': Racing and Drugs are a Bad Combo

No driver that I know is going to go out and smoke a fatty and then try to drive 500 miles at 200 miles an hour.

So it's just like saying let them do it, anyway, they won't do it when thery're driving..... are we sure? Who sets the standard? I would rather stick to NASCAR's zero tolerance on drugs. There should be absolute boundaries.

However, having been a diabetic for a long, long time. I test my own blood sugar on a frequent basis. I also get other tests done by labs. I have seen how easy it is for such test to put out incorrect readings. Testing is done by human beings and thus cannot be perfect. I would feel really terrible is somebody's reputation and professional standing was hurt by incorrect testing procedures and/or a faulting collecting process. Thus my mixed feelings.

In as much as there are human errors, it is very minimal. Tests are either highly sensitive which can result into false positives, and those of highly specific, which results into false negatives. Combining the 2 types of tests , one basic and one corfirmatory results into a smaller margin of error. After a person is tested positive to the drugs, there are confirmatory tests to that. In our present culture where everybody is defensive so as not to "violate my rights", laboratories are very cautious specially if we are talking about athletes or known personalities before they would release reports