Well It's Seems Like The NHRA Is Getting Rich Denying A Good Racer A Return

[Treeshaker]

There needs to be a little reality check here. The $1,500.00 isn't going to put Mike in the poor house or make NHRA rich. But it will be wasted if Mike continues the appeal along with the lawyer's fees and his time. NHRA cannot afford to make exceptions to written and clearly defined to the drivers rules.

The penalty is severe because there needs to be a reason for the drivers to go get checked. When they pass, great, when they fail there are options that can help the driver clean up their act and that will help the driver, their competitors and the sport in the long run. If they don't follow the options and clean up their act, then their penalties get more severe.

Whether Mike continues in the sport in whatever capacity or not will be his choice. He can use outside situations as an excuse, but ultimately the decision is his to make. And both him and the world will continue which ever direction he goes. Remember, it was his choice not to show up when the clinic opened on Saturday morning to provide his sample when he was hydrated and rested from a night of sleep, even if the night was short.

We all suffer, in this case it is Mike, because many feel it is OK to drink excessively and/or take drugs and then mingle among the population. I am sorry to say that over the years I have watched many talented, and some not so talented, individuals waste their lives and sometimes take/ruin the lives of others because of their activities. The NHRA program, with it's penalty format, is fair and was seriously needed when implemented.

 

[Gordon]

We all suffer, in this case it is Mike, because many feel it is OK to drink excessively and/or take drugs and then mingle among the population. I am sorry to say that over the years I have watched many talented, and some not so talented, individuals waste their lives and sometimes take/ruin the lives of others because of their activities. The NHRA program, with it's penalty format, is fair and was seriously needed when implemented.

That is an outstanding point, and one that needed to be made. This can easily be transferred to a societal level too. If we start picking and choosing which laws and rules we're going to follow and which ones we're willing to ignore or alter to meet our needs in a given situation, chaos will surely ensue.

There are likely ways to improve the process, as has been beaten to death in other threads. If NHRA improves the process as a result of concerns raised in this case, so be it, but the rule today is what it is and it should be enforced accordingly.

Thank you for the "Reality Check".

 

[Draw 3D]

The first appeal, Participant's Response to Statement of Action Against Participant, was not written by a lawyer, it was written by Mike and his brothers. The formal appeal was drafted with help from a lawyer as to address all aspects of the reason why the decision should be overturned. This is a serious, life changing position that Mike is in and needs to have professional advice for the appeal. There are curcumstances that do not make this a black and white situation. Mike and his brothers are hoping that NHRA will consider Mike's explaination and come to some kind of punishment more fitting the "crime". Until they hear back from NHRA he would rather wait to disclose all the curcumstances.

Sheryl, I was using the information stated in the Comp+ article, if it is incorrect then you should contact them for correction.

I agree that it is serious and life-changing, and I would really like to see you guys win the appeal.

Every effort should be made to follow existing written procedures, any presumed effort to circumvent them will surely be viewed negatively.

 

[minnow]

It does look as if they have misunderstoood on the first part of the appeal. We are following each step of the appeal as written in the rulebook. NHRA has until May 24th or longer depending on if they need longer to reply. As soon as we have the decision from NHRA we will have a press release.

 

[TooTall999]

Whoever is right or wrong, one thing is very clear, drivers need to give the NHRA drug and alcohol testing procedure top priority. If you value your career don't even chance what happened to both Mike Strasburg and Matt Guiderra. When they tell you to test, do it before anything else. I know if it were me I would be at the test center immediately after receiving notification. And while we only hear about the minority that have either failed or failed to comply with the rule as written; we don't hear about how many drivers are notified and manage to submit samples under the current rules. If the policy states zero tolerance for failure or failure to comply within the test procedure, than the drivers have nobody to blame but themselves.

 

[mick]

seems like some comments posted regarding the strasburg incident suggest
a person like mike wearing so many hats on race weekend does not have
enough minutes in the day, much less any extra time to take care of random
requests such as drug testing.
perhaps nhra and it's independent testing company should discuss revamping
their procedures.

how many times have we watched the john force moped running around
the entire facility from pit to starting line to shutdown area?

why can't the drug testing company be mobile? do they have some
'official' bathroom..........not.
- ride a moped to racer trailer with test kit - retrieve sample
- the racer shouldn't be 100% burdened with everything; especially smaller
teams where the same guy is owner/tuner/driver and maybe even salesman.

you want my piss, come get it.

 

[Shaggy]

Are full pit crews included in the random tests or is it just drivers?

 

[Guppy]

Are full pit crews included in the random tests or is it just drivers?

Just the drivers, A saliva swab test would be a nice way to go, Someone on a scooter or golf cart could go through the staging lanes before a session and test the whole field in 20 minutes.