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Shane Hmiel (born May 15, 1980 in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina) is a former NASCAR driver who drove the #32 WinFuel / TrimSpa Chevrolet for Braun Racing until he was banned for life after failing a third drug test. He is the son of NASCAR crew chief Steve Hmiel.
[edit] NASCAR careerShane Hmiel was one of the more controversial drivers in NASCAR, failing three separate drug tests and openly insulting other drivers in interviews. In 2001, he was the Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Goody's Dash Series, with 2 wins, 13 top 10s, finishing fifth in points. In 2002 and 2003, he was a Busch Series competitor. Hmiel's best NASCAR effort came at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August, 2003, where he won the pole, led the most laps and staged a very competitive battle with Brian Vickers. Vickers won, and Hmiel finished fourth. However, in September 2003, he was suspended indefinitely for failing a drug test (see below). He was reinstated in 2004 and was picked up by Craftsman Truck series owner Billy Ballew Motorsports, a Busch ride with Braun Racing and a Cup ride with Bill Davis Racing. He was in a series of commercials with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. during the early part of the 2005 NASCAR season that dealt with his title sponsor WinFuel multivitamins. In his return to the Busch Series, he got into a very heated incident with Dale Jarrett during the Sharpie 250 at Bristol. When Jarrett leaned into Hmiel's window to question why Hmiel had spun him out, Hmiel made several obscene gestures toward Jarrett that were captured live on national television (especially the finger gesture pointed at Jarrett). Hmiel told television viewers, "Uh, yeah he's not too happy. I hate it, you know, I don't care about it for Dale Jarrett I just hate it for the Winfuel Chevrolet 'cause we were the fastest car here and lapped cars caused ninety-percent of the wrecks today and it hurts us in the points, I'm sorry that Dale Jarrett's car got tore up but when they're wrecking in front of you, and you're tryin' to move and then you run into somebody; how you gonna blame that on somebody, you know? But he threatened he'd get me and all that stuff, so he'd better hurry up because he ain't got much longer." Hmiel was fined $10,000 USD and docked 25 points in the standings for the incident. This and earlier incidents caused many fans to view Hmiel as a "disrespectful punk" as quoted by more than one veteran driver, including Jamie McMurray, Jason Keller, and Jason Leffler. Hmiel failed a drug test at Dover in 2005, and was escorted from the garage by NASCAR officials. After failing a third drug test in early 2006, Hmiel was banned from NASCAR for life (see below). During his 4-year NASCAR career, Hmiel appeared in 7 Nextel Cup races, 83 Busch races, and 29 Craftsman Truck races. He had one win, in the Truck series Las Vegas 350 in 2004. [edit] Substance Abuse TestNASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy allows NASCAR to administer drug tests virtually anytime, anywhere, based only on "reasonable suspicion." There is no driver's union to prevent such tests. Hmiel violated NASCAR's substance abuse policy when he tested positive for marijuana in 2003. At the time, he was the highest-profile driver to fail such a test. Hmiel was suspended from September 2003 to January 2004, then reinstated after NASCAR's demands were satisfied. In 2005 he tested positive for marijuana and cocaine, and was suspended "indefinitely" starting in May 2005. Hmiel was offered a chance at reinstatement after his second infraction, under condition that he submit to medical and psychological reviews, and frequent drug testing before reinstatement. In February, 2006, Hmiel failed a drug test, and was banned for life. Hmiel was not paid his 2005 salary for races prior to the suspension, as Braun Racing alleged that Hmiel signed the contract in bad faith due to health concerns. Under oath, Hmiel admitted 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. Hmiel admitted that he "may have used marijuana on a regular basis" prior to failing the first NASCAR test, but denied he was using drugs on a regular basis (at least once a week) in 2005. Hmiel denied that he'd tested positive for heroin at any time from 2003-2005, and testified that he was not under the influence of any drug at any time while he was racing.[1] The disposition of the lawsuit is unknown. [edit] See also[edit] USAC RacingHmiel attempted a comeback in the USAC Silver Crown Series in 2006. He signed with C&R Racing in February 2006, but was replaced by P.J. Jones in March, 2006 following the NASCAR lifetime ban. As of 2009, he has resumed USAC sprint car racing. Shane is currently racing for RW Motorsports. [edit] References[edit] External links | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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