T
TonyB
Guest
NASCAR.com
Shane Hmiel was on the verge of Busch Series stardom. But a drug suspension cost him his NASCAR license, and with it, his job. Now, he's fighting to regain both
CONCORD, N.C. -- The hardest part was facing his parents. He knew their disappointment would run deep, to an almost tangible degree. The news was that devastating.
Shane Hmiel was a drug abuser, and it had finally caught up with him.
NASCAR officials had gotten wind of Hmiel's behavior and erratic driving methods, and per their drug policy, which provides that competitors are tested only under reasonable suspicion, began monitoring him closely late last Summer and into the Fall.
Then, on Sept. 5, during a Busch Series event in Richmond, Va., in which Hmiel's over-aggression resulted in a spectacular crash for championship contender Jason Keller, NASCAR officials felt the time had come to test the 23-year old for illegal substances.
Hmiel waited several hours before agreeing to take a urine test. When he did, he failed, and subsequently became the first Busch Series driver ever to be suspended under NASCAR's substance abuse policy.
Devastated and embarrassed, Hmiel informed his parents that he'd been kicked out of NASCAR -- a tough admission by any standard, but especially for a kid whose father has been a staple of the sport for nearly 30 years -- and didn't know when, or even if, he'd ever be re-admitted.
"They were heartbroken, but probably more embarrassed than anything," Hmiel told NASCAR.com in his first public interview since the incident. "(My father) has been in this sport for a long time, since the mid-70s. It hurt them. It hurt everybody around me -- my mom, my dad, my friends and family.
"Actually, it's embarrassing for me, but I don't think it's as embarrassing for me as it is for them. They were so excited when I made to Busch, because they knew how hard I'd worked. Then to throw it away like that ..."
The disappointment in Hmiel's voice is readily obvious. He knows he acted improperly, but aside from himself, his team and his sponsors doesn't feel he jeopardized anyone.
"I don't think I was a wreck -- I surely wasn't 100 percent, but I don't think I did a lot to put anybody in danger," Hmiel said. "I wasn't a wild child that stayed out all night partying the night before the race. I don't think I was completely out of control.
"I mean, I obviously did something that wasn't approved by NASCAR, and shouldn't be approved by NASCAR, but I don't think I was a wreck. Obviously, though, there was some reason I was suspended and even tested."
Neither Hmiel nor NASCAR would specify the particular substances in question, but rumors surfaced regarding everything from marijuana to cocaine.
"Well, that's like most things, I guess. NASCAR is a talking sport. That's how a lot of people get things done, by talking," Hmiel said. "Rumors are rumors. It's not my spot to say what's what.
"There ain't but three, four people in the world that know what happened, and of course I can't speak on it, but rumors are what people that don't have much to talk about, talk about. They hurt at first, and my mom and dad told me not to read all the Internet stuff.
"Then, after about I month I said, 'Screw this. I'm gonna make this make me a better person.' So I started reading the stuff. I just have to keep doing everything I know to do, and hopefully I'll get back at it and get a chance to be a champion someday."
The road back
Throughout the ordeal, Steve and Lisa Hmiel have been steadfast in support of their son. Shane knows some parents wouldn't be so supportive, and has garnered a renewed appreciation for all he's been given.
And all that's been taken away.
"I think it might have slowed me down for a year or so, but in the overall look, the longevity of my life, it'll be better for me and my career," Shane said.
"I don't think I was a bad racecar driver, but when all your racing is taken away - that's been my whole life since I was a kid - you really learn to appreciate what all you've got and how much racing means to you. So I think when and if I come back I'll definitely be more focused and a better driver."
During his four-month suspension, Hmiel has undergone a substance abuse rehabilitation program, mandated by NASCAR and facilitated by an outside agency. Included in the program have been lengthy discussions with doctors and random drug testing.
Regardless his location, when NASCAR calls, Hmiel has one hour to get to an approved testing facility to submit a sample.
"I've been in Tampa, Fla., and had to go see the people and a take a test right there, random testing," Hmiel said. "It's been a good deal. NASCAR's handled it really well and I think I have, too, as far as doing everything they've asked me to do. I think it should be done more, really."
More drug testing in the garage?
"It should be more of a set thing," Hmiel continued. "I think everybody needs to be tested - not saying that there's stuff going on, but just to have more of a set program."
NASCAR vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter said Monday that the sanctioning body is content with the success of its substance abuse policy and doesn't plan to alter it.
"We think our current policy serves us really well," Hunter said. "We have no plans to change it."
Following Hmiel's suspension, NASCAR issued a news bulletin that stated their policy "is well-suited to NASCAR because of the close and continuing contact between our officials and our competitors."
Hunter reiterated that sentiment Monday, and said that NASCAR has a good pulse of its members' social activity. Hmiel concurred, and went so far as to applaud the sanctioning body for its diligence in his particular case.
"It's what every sport needs and I think it needs to be enforced in every sport as much as it is in NASCAR," Hmiel said. "That's why NASCAR's the number one growing sport. The France family and Mike Helton have done a hell of a job building this sport up and won't let (drugs) screw it up.
"We're going 200 miles an hour and need to be able to react at the blink of an eye. So it's definitely a good policy. It's definitely important."
His priorities now straight, Hmiel has his sights set on reinstatement. It could happen soon. NASCAR director of event logistics Gary Smith said last week that Hmiel has progressed well, and would likely be reinstated at some point during the 2004 season.
"I don't have (a NASCAR license) yet, and I really want one, bad," Hmiel said. "So I've been ... doing everything I can to get back where I was. I'm definitely happier. And to hear something like that from Gary Smith, not to say that it can happen, but it gives you hope and keeps you going for another couple months or weeks or days or whatever it takes.
"I don't think my life was going downhill, but it definitely could have been lived better, and should have been lived better. NASCAR did a great job by noticing there was something wrong with me and fixing it."
Moving forward
Looking back, Hmiel is thankful to have learned this lesson now, with his entire life still ahead of him and before a wayward lifestyle consumed him.
That's not to say it didn't come with a hefty price, however. Prior to Hmiel's suspension, he was a mainstay in the Winston Cup rumor mill as a possible driver candidate.
"George deBidart, who I was under contract with then, has a nice deal going on with the Toyotas and there was Winston Cup talk," Hmiel said. "I've never seen a piece of paper in front of me or anything like that.
"I was still fulfilling my obligations with George and I still had another year with him. But there was talk about Winston Cup. I don't know if I was ready. I'd like to think I was ready. But hell, who knows now?"
These days Hmiel isn't concerned with the what ifs. He just wants the chance to race again. He's worked hard to prove that to NASCAR over the past four months, standing on the fringes of the sport he loves as friends such as Kasey Kahne have gotten Nextel Cup opportunities that may have been his.
"You sign a piece of paper at the beginning of the year that says they could (suspend you). I knew that. I just made a mistake," Hmiel said.
"I didn't abide by the rules, so now I'm spending these next couple months trying to fix it, and hopefully get back to racing and what I know how to do the best."
Shane Hmiel was on the verge of Busch Series stardom. But a drug suspension cost him his NASCAR license, and with it, his job. Now, he's fighting to regain both
CONCORD, N.C. -- The hardest part was facing his parents. He knew their disappointment would run deep, to an almost tangible degree. The news was that devastating.
Shane Hmiel was a drug abuser, and it had finally caught up with him.
NASCAR officials had gotten wind of Hmiel's behavior and erratic driving methods, and per their drug policy, which provides that competitors are tested only under reasonable suspicion, began monitoring him closely late last Summer and into the Fall.
Then, on Sept. 5, during a Busch Series event in Richmond, Va., in which Hmiel's over-aggression resulted in a spectacular crash for championship contender Jason Keller, NASCAR officials felt the time had come to test the 23-year old for illegal substances.
Hmiel waited several hours before agreeing to take a urine test. When he did, he failed, and subsequently became the first Busch Series driver ever to be suspended under NASCAR's substance abuse policy.
Devastated and embarrassed, Hmiel informed his parents that he'd been kicked out of NASCAR -- a tough admission by any standard, but especially for a kid whose father has been a staple of the sport for nearly 30 years -- and didn't know when, or even if, he'd ever be re-admitted.
"They were heartbroken, but probably more embarrassed than anything," Hmiel told NASCAR.com in his first public interview since the incident. "(My father) has been in this sport for a long time, since the mid-70s. It hurt them. It hurt everybody around me -- my mom, my dad, my friends and family.
"Actually, it's embarrassing for me, but I don't think it's as embarrassing for me as it is for them. They were so excited when I made to Busch, because they knew how hard I'd worked. Then to throw it away like that ..."
The disappointment in Hmiel's voice is readily obvious. He knows he acted improperly, but aside from himself, his team and his sponsors doesn't feel he jeopardized anyone.
"I don't think I was a wreck -- I surely wasn't 100 percent, but I don't think I did a lot to put anybody in danger," Hmiel said. "I wasn't a wild child that stayed out all night partying the night before the race. I don't think I was completely out of control.
"I mean, I obviously did something that wasn't approved by NASCAR, and shouldn't be approved by NASCAR, but I don't think I was a wreck. Obviously, though, there was some reason I was suspended and even tested."
Neither Hmiel nor NASCAR would specify the particular substances in question, but rumors surfaced regarding everything from marijuana to cocaine.
"Well, that's like most things, I guess. NASCAR is a talking sport. That's how a lot of people get things done, by talking," Hmiel said. "Rumors are rumors. It's not my spot to say what's what.
"There ain't but three, four people in the world that know what happened, and of course I can't speak on it, but rumors are what people that don't have much to talk about, talk about. They hurt at first, and my mom and dad told me not to read all the Internet stuff.
"Then, after about I month I said, 'Screw this. I'm gonna make this make me a better person.' So I started reading the stuff. I just have to keep doing everything I know to do, and hopefully I'll get back at it and get a chance to be a champion someday."
The road back
Throughout the ordeal, Steve and Lisa Hmiel have been steadfast in support of their son. Shane knows some parents wouldn't be so supportive, and has garnered a renewed appreciation for all he's been given.
And all that's been taken away.
"I think it might have slowed me down for a year or so, but in the overall look, the longevity of my life, it'll be better for me and my career," Shane said.
"I don't think I was a bad racecar driver, but when all your racing is taken away - that's been my whole life since I was a kid - you really learn to appreciate what all you've got and how much racing means to you. So I think when and if I come back I'll definitely be more focused and a better driver."
During his four-month suspension, Hmiel has undergone a substance abuse rehabilitation program, mandated by NASCAR and facilitated by an outside agency. Included in the program have been lengthy discussions with doctors and random drug testing.
Regardless his location, when NASCAR calls, Hmiel has one hour to get to an approved testing facility to submit a sample.
"I've been in Tampa, Fla., and had to go see the people and a take a test right there, random testing," Hmiel said. "It's been a good deal. NASCAR's handled it really well and I think I have, too, as far as doing everything they've asked me to do. I think it should be done more, really."
More drug testing in the garage?
"It should be more of a set thing," Hmiel continued. "I think everybody needs to be tested - not saying that there's stuff going on, but just to have more of a set program."
NASCAR vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter said Monday that the sanctioning body is content with the success of its substance abuse policy and doesn't plan to alter it.
"We think our current policy serves us really well," Hunter said. "We have no plans to change it."
Following Hmiel's suspension, NASCAR issued a news bulletin that stated their policy "is well-suited to NASCAR because of the close and continuing contact between our officials and our competitors."
Hunter reiterated that sentiment Monday, and said that NASCAR has a good pulse of its members' social activity. Hmiel concurred, and went so far as to applaud the sanctioning body for its diligence in his particular case.
"It's what every sport needs and I think it needs to be enforced in every sport as much as it is in NASCAR," Hmiel said. "That's why NASCAR's the number one growing sport. The France family and Mike Helton have done a hell of a job building this sport up and won't let (drugs) screw it up.
"We're going 200 miles an hour and need to be able to react at the blink of an eye. So it's definitely a good policy. It's definitely important."
His priorities now straight, Hmiel has his sights set on reinstatement. It could happen soon. NASCAR director of event logistics Gary Smith said last week that Hmiel has progressed well, and would likely be reinstated at some point during the 2004 season.
"I don't have (a NASCAR license) yet, and I really want one, bad," Hmiel said. "So I've been ... doing everything I can to get back where I was. I'm definitely happier. And to hear something like that from Gary Smith, not to say that it can happen, but it gives you hope and keeps you going for another couple months or weeks or days or whatever it takes.
"I don't think my life was going downhill, but it definitely could have been lived better, and should have been lived better. NASCAR did a great job by noticing there was something wrong with me and fixing it."
Moving forward
Looking back, Hmiel is thankful to have learned this lesson now, with his entire life still ahead of him and before a wayward lifestyle consumed him.
That's not to say it didn't come with a hefty price, however. Prior to Hmiel's suspension, he was a mainstay in the Winston Cup rumor mill as a possible driver candidate.
"George deBidart, who I was under contract with then, has a nice deal going on with the Toyotas and there was Winston Cup talk," Hmiel said. "I've never seen a piece of paper in front of me or anything like that.
"I was still fulfilling my obligations with George and I still had another year with him. But there was talk about Winston Cup. I don't know if I was ready. I'd like to think I was ready. But hell, who knows now?"
These days Hmiel isn't concerned with the what ifs. He just wants the chance to race again. He's worked hard to prove that to NASCAR over the past four months, standing on the fringes of the sport he loves as friends such as Kasey Kahne have gotten Nextel Cup opportunities that may have been his.
"You sign a piece of paper at the beginning of the year that says they could (suspend you). I knew that. I just made a mistake," Hmiel said.
"I didn't abide by the rules, so now I'm spending these next couple months trying to fix it, and hopefully get back to racing and what I know how to do the best."
