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NASCAR

NASCAR, Ron Hornaday say driver used testosterone for health reasons

By SceneDaily.com

Sep 17, 2008

LOUDON, N.H. – Ron Hornaday has admitted taking testosterone in 2005 and 2006, but NASCAR has deemed that he did so for health reasons and that it did not enhance his performance nor impair his judgment, NASCAR Vice President Jim Hunter said Friday.

Hornaday said he was prescribed the testosterone cream because he had been losing weight and had the shakes and could not figure out what was wrong. He eventually was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, a thyroid condition, in March 2006 and has gotten the disease under control.

“I have nothing to hide,” Hornaday, 50, said during a news conference Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “Am I ashamed? No.”

Testosterone use was not against NASCAR rules at the time Hornaday was taking it. Hunter said NASCAR would not use the admission as reasonable suspicion to drug test Hornaday, who has passed a drug test from team owner Kevin Harvick Inc. this year.

“It is our understanding that Ron had a very serious health issue, which is continuing to be addressed,” Hunter said.

NASCAR will announce a revised substance-abuse policy within the next few weeks, Hunter said. He said this instance will not influence NASCAR’s new policy.

Hornaday’s current medication includes a steroid, Harvick said.

“We don’t see where Ron did anything wrong,” Hunter said. “Our substance-abuse policy is based on reasonable suspicion, and if you talk to physicians … on a case-by-case basis, depending on what a person’s condition is, then there are prescriptions with all sorts of substances used for treatment. In some cases, those are acceptable.”

Harvick was the one who insisted Hornaday see his doctor and obtain an accurate diagnosis.

“This whole situation is not about driving,” Harvick said. “This is about somebody’s personal health. Ron went to the extreme of trying to make his life better and trying to make his health better.”

Hornaday said he didn’t mention he was taking the testosterone during his NASCAR preseason physical in 2005.

“If you checked me, my levels were so low so it probably put me back to [testosterone] standards,” Hornaday said.

Hornaday won the 2007 Craftsman Truck Series title, his third title in the series. He has 45 career starts on the Cup level.

“On a hot day when you’re pushed to your max physically, then you’re able to stay up in the seat, then potentially [taking steroids] could help,” said Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton. “In Ron’s situation, Ron looked horrible. He looked sick. There was something wrong with him. He was just trying to get healthy.”

Harvick also briefly addressed the issue of human growth hormone being sent to the Hornaday household for Lindy Hornaday, his wife.

“The HGH Side of it, we’re not going to drag Lindy into this,” Harvick said. “We’ve already violated enough personal records. … We’re not going to violate that side of the personal records.

“These are personal health issues, and Ron has been kind of enough to show NASCAR and show us his personal health issues. On the HGH side, we’re not getting into that. We did show them Lindy’s [records], too.”