Ron Hornaday, the defending champion of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, has admitted using steroids to ESPN. Hornaday denies using HGH despite receiving shipments of the hormone. Shaun Assael reports more:
During the interview, Hornaday retrieved a 2-ounce tube from his house that was half-filled with a cream. The prescription label bore the name “testosterone,” but was partially torn so that it did not show his name. The expiration date was listed as Sept. 29, 2007.
“I never knew that was a steroid,” he said, pointing to the cream.
Hornaday said he didn’t see or speak with a doctor before receiving the prescription, and initially insisted that he used it for only a week and stopped. Later, joined by his wife, Lindy, he changed the timeline and said he used it roughly every day for 13 months by rubbing a “pea-sized” dollop of it onto his thigh.
Ah. Story changing on the fly. Not a good sign, nor is the timeline Assael lays out for Hornaday, a Mooresville resident. Hornaday reached out to the notorious Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center a few years ago when his career hit a rough patch. Then, success. Haven’t we repeatedly been told by NASCAR officials that steroids or HGH would be of no use to drivers, implying there is no reason to test for them? This is an important, game-changing story.
Let’s see if the local paper, which prides itself on racing coverage, drops the hype and boosterism long enough to wonder just how doped up NASCAR might be.
Update: NASCAR is giving Hornaday a pass, citing his thyroid problems and a non-performance enhancing decree from their “experts.” Does that mean that NASCAR’s testing regime will not test for steroids? This is some serious spin.
