An update on the infamous Shane Hmiel

[Digger]

Banned for life by NASCAR, Shane Hmiel is winning races again

Story Highlights
He won a USAC Sprint Car race this month
His earlier troubles were related to drug use
In June 2006 he was diagnosed as bipolar

Former NASCAR driver Shane Hmiel, who was banned for life from NASCAR in 2006 after failing a third drug test, has taken hard, careful and serious steps to revive his career.

They've landed him back in a race car. Last Saturday night, Hmiel won a USAC Western Sprint Car Series race on a quarter-mile paved track in Roseville, Calif. It was the first time he had driven a Sprint Car. But there's never been any doubt that Hmiel has talent. His trouble has stemmed from illegal use of drugs.

Hmiel fully believes those days are behind him, as do others who are providing him support. Their efforts put him into that race in Roseville, but Hmiel made the most important step himself.

"I went into a drug treatment facility in July [2007] for three and a half months," Hmiel said. "I needed to get my life back on track before I worried about getting my career back on track."

The Talbott Recovery Campus in Atlanta monitors its patients with outpatient treatment.

"When I went to graduate from there, you have three choices to do after you leave," Hmiel explained. "I decided to do drug testing every week just to keep me honest, to prove to people that I am sober."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tim_tuttle/04/17/hmiel/index.html

 

[Digger]

OOOOOHHHH SNAP!

Kevin Harvick had charged last weekend that Hmiel had also driven under the influence. "I can almost guarantee you [Hmiel] was in a race car while he was under the influence and that pisses me off," Harvick said.

Hmiel has always denied that and did again this week.

"[Harvick's statement] is totally wrong," Hmiel said. "I've never gotten into a race car under the influence."

 

[joechance]

I would question this story since Shane ran at lest 3 races for C+R racing in Silver Crown cars and it was rumored that he ran a couple of sprint car (pavement) races for them under an assumed name in late 05 .

It would seem bi-polar is the popular excuse for bad behavior from Brittney Speers to Paris Hylton these days but it wont fly with me . I was a big fan of Shanes but he just plain messed up . I suppose if my dad was the #2 guy at DEI and i failed 3 drug tests for smoking pot and threw away my future i would blame it on being be bi-polar too , its a lot easirer then taking personal responsibility for your actions .

When Shane got caught the second time and then decided to smoke some herb on the off weekend before Dover i knew he was just another rich kid with talent that fiqured the rules didnt apply to him . Too bad so sad but bi-polar my ass .

 

[Digger]

I would question this story since Shane ran at lest 3 races for C+R racing in Silver Crown cars and it was rumored that he ran a couple of sprint car (pavement) races for them under an assumed name in late 05 .

It would seem bi-polar is the popular excuse for bad behavior from Brittney Speers to Paris Hylton these days but it wont fly with me . I was a big fan of Shanes but he just plain messed up . I suppose if my dad was the #2 guy at DEI and i failed 3 drug tests for smoking pot and threw away my future i would blame it on being be bi-polar too , its a lot easirer then taking personal responsibility for your actions .

When Shane got caught the second time and then decided to smoke some herb on the off weekend before Dover i knew he was just another rich kid with talent that fiqured the rules didnt apply to him . Too bad so sad but bi-polar my ass .

HOLY ####!!!!! Note this moment in time, me and joechance actually agree on something.

 

[basscatcher89]

I saw he was driving a crate late earlier this year.

cant understand how these guys like hmiel and fike can have the world by the balls and just throw it away.

 

[Kyle48]

I still race NASCAR '06 on Playstation from time to time, it's my fave of the titles; when I'm racing side-by-side with Shane I always think; "I wonder how stoned he is in there?"

Heh.

Makes me smile everytime.

 

[joechance]

I still race NASCAR '06 on Playstation from time to time, it's my fave of the titles; when I'm racing side-by-side with Shane I always think; "I wonder how stoned he is in there?"

Heh.

Makes me smile everytime.

For the record i dont think Shane was ever high when he raced or at the track for that matter . Shane was into smoking pot and it would be pretty hard to fire up a doob anywhere near the track with out someone noticing . The problem he had was that unlike coke , speed , or H , pot is the most easily tracable drug to test for since it stays in your system for about 30 days where coke will exit your system in as little as 48 hours .

 

[Digger]

For the record i dont think Shane was ever high when he raced or at the track for that matter . Shane was into smoking pot and it would be pretty hard to fire up a doob anywhere near the track with out someone noticing . The problem he had was that unlike coke , speed , or H , pot is the most easily tracable drug to test for since it stays in your system for about 30 days where coke will exit your system in as little as 48 hours .

Again, agreed.

I think Shane being banned for life was bs. I don't really care if a driver smokes weed away from the track.

Granted, I DON'T think Shane's the only one, I think there are probably more drivers. But, NASCAR has no interest in catching them.

 

[Whizzer]

Did I miss something here or what??? If you think the only thing Shane used was pot, I would dare say you are mistaken.

I'm no expert on the use of drugs, legal or otherwise, but I am under the impression people do not go into rehab two or three times for using marijuana.

Information received but not verifiable, is Shane was using something like OxyContin.

My guess is, NASCAR tested Shane Hmiel and found drugs more serious than marijuana, on more than one occasion and therefore Hmiel was banned for life.

Hopefully, Hmiel now has his act together and is walking the straight and narrow and trying to salvage what is left of his racing career.

 

[barelypure]

With today's attitudes...

 

[mudslinger47]

Did I miss something here or what??? If you think the only thing Shane used was pot, I would dare say you are mistaken.

I'm no expert on the use of drugs, legal or otherwise, but I am under the impression people do not go into rehab two or three times for using marijuana.

Information received but not verifiable, is Shane was using something like OxyContin.

My guess is, NASCAR tested Shane Hmiel and found drugs more serious than marijuana, on more than one occasion and therefore Hmiel was banned for life.

Hopefully, Hmiel now has his act together and is walking the straight and narrow and trying to salvage what is left of his racing career.

HOLY CRAP!!!!!! NOW I AGREE WITH THE WHIZ 100%, This is a scary thread, I'm outta here!!!! LOL Duane

 

[basscatcher89]

drug use is huge in racing unfortunatly. There are more big names using than we will ever hear about. Its a high stress sport some cant take it with out some kind of help. It sounds stupid but i know thats the reason for alot of it with some traveling dlm racing. But this was not an isolated incident with hmiel or fike.

 

[Digger]

drug use is huge in racing unfortunatly. There are more big names using than we will ever hear about. Its a high stress sport some cant take it with out some kind of help. It sounds stupid but i know thats the reason for alot of it with some traveling dlm racing. But this was not an isolated incident with hmiel or fike.

Nope.

And NASCAR don't want to find out who is on drugs.

 

[tkj24]

Hmiel admits to positive tests for marijuana, cocaine
By Bob Pockrass
Wednesday, August 16, 2006

In trying to collect his salary from last season, banned driver Shane Hmiel has had to admit that he violated NASCAR's substance abuse policy with a positive test for marijuana in 2003 and a positive test for marijuana and cocaine in 2005, this week's NASCAR Scene reports.

Hmiel was suspended by NASCAR from September 2003 to January 2004 for the first failed test and then indefinitely after the second failed test in late May 2005. He was "suspended for life" after a third failed test, which was announced in February 2006.

NASCAR does not reveal the drugs that a driver tests positive for. In interviews after he returned from the first suspension, Hmiel declined to identify the drug he tested positive for.

The admissions came in a filing in Hmiel's lawsuit against Busch Series team owner Todd Braun. Hmiel wants his paycheck for the time he drove for Braun in 2005 up until the time he was suspended in June 2005.

According to the complaint, Hmiel says he is owed $135,513 for the races he drove and another $135,513 for bad faith dealings by Braun.

As part of the lawsuit process, Hmiel had to answer questions from Braun, and those answers were filed last month in North Carolina court. Braun alleges that Hmiel knowingly and fraudulently signed a contract without revealing his physical condition.

To prove that, Braun's attorneys asked for Hmiel to submit answers to pointed questions. In those answers, Hmiel admitted to using illegal drugs. He admitted that he "may have used marijuana on a regular basis" prior to September 2003, when he failed the first NASCAR test. He denied he was using drugs on a regular basis (at least once a week) in 2005.

Braun asked if Hmiel had tested positive for heroin at any time from 2003-2005, and Hmiel denied that he had.

In the filing, Hmiel attests that he was not under the influence of any drug at any time while he was racing, although admits the drugs were in his system.
A message left Aug. 13 on Hmiel's cell phone was not returned.

Hmiel, the son of Dale Earnhardt Inc. technical director Steve Hmiel, won one Craftsman Truck Series race in his career. He had 29 truck starts, 89 Busch Series starts and seven Nextel Cup starts.

 

[tkj24]

In the filing, Hmiel attests that he was not under the influence of any drug at any time while he was racing, although admits the drugs were in his system.

If they were in his system wasn't he still on them? I wouldn't want to race near him either way.

 

[wolfcub]

Hmiel admits to positive tests for marijuana, cocaine: In trying to collect his salary from last season, banned driver Shane Hmiel has had to admit that he violated NASCAR's substance abuse policy with a positive test for marijuana in 2003 and a positive test for marijuana and cocaine in 2005, this week's NASCAR Scene reports. Hmiel was suspended by NASCAR from September 2003 to January 2004 for the first failed test and then indefinitely after the second failed test in late May 2005. He was "suspended for life" after a third failed test, which was announced in February 2006. The admissions came in a filing in Hmiel's lawsuit against Busch Series team owner Todd Braun. Hmiel wants his paycheck for the time he drove for Braun in 2005 up until the time he was suspended in June 2005. According to the complaint, Hmiel says he is owed $135,513 for the races he drove and another $135,513 for bad faith dealings by Braun. As part of the lawsuit process, Hmiel had to answer questions from Braun, and those answers were filed last month in North Carolina court. Braun alleges that Hmiel knowingly and fraudulently signed a contract without revealing his physical condition. To prove that, Braun's attorneys asked for Hmiel to submit answers to pointed questions. In those answers, Hmiel admitted to using illegal drugs. He admitted that he "may have used marijuana on a regular basis" prior to September 2003, when he failed the first NASCAR test. He denied he was using drugs on a regular basis (at least once a week) in 2005. Braun asked if Hmiel had tested positive for heroin at any time from 2003-2005, and Hmiel denied that he had. In the filing, Hmiel attests that he was not under the influence of any drug at any time while he was racing, although admits the drugs were in his system.SceneDaily.com)(8-16-2006)

Ah, hello!!!! If they are in your system then you are under the influence!!! He might want to recall what he has said already. Sounds like he has been taking lessons from Hillary and her sniper attacks!!!!

 

[wolfcub]

CRAP!! Sorry Tkj24, I just saw your post when I hit submit!!!