My take on the AJ situation

So the Dinger admitted that he took an Adderall, unknowingly.  He blew up twitter and most of the NASCAR XM shows like a bomb.  So I went back and read some of the transcripts.  I then listened to part of the interview on espn.com.

 AJ’s Explanation

I’m not totally comfortable with the explanation of “my friend gave me an energy supplement” explanation and the supplement turned out to be Adderall.

Sorry, AJ.  My middle child takes ADD medication so that she can focus in class each day.  I purposefully picked the one medication that is synthesized through the liver and CAN NOT be ABUSED.  Unfortunately, for people without a clinical diagnosis of ADD, the medication can and does act as a stimulant.  So if someone is tired or potentially depressed, the Adderall would be a great boost of energy.

In the ESPN interview, AJ admitted to getting treatment more so for stress than for drug abuse.  AJ’s personal business is just that, his.  However, with this suspension, his personal life has come under scrutiny.  And while we “normal” people can pretty much keep our lives out of the tabloids, the NASCAR community isn’t so lucky.

My Theory:
AJ’s personal life has had some turmoil; his transition at Penske had been rocky as he had just recently started to have some good runs.  The stress from the combination led to a really poor decision of taking someone else’s prescription.  Bad decision.  Really bad decision.  And he got caught.

AJ stated in the interview that he would complete his prescribed Road to Recovery program by late August.  So, what will he do then?  Will a top tier Cup team touch him?  I have no clue to either question.  Would I hire him? YES.

I think he royally screwed up.  But haven’t we all made poor decisions at some point?  If I had a few trucks, he would be a no-brainer hire.  Hopefully, there is a truck series owner out there that thinks the same thing. 

 Note: I was involved in motorsports several years ago when a noted driver from a lower series was suspended and then reinstated.  NASCAR diligently drug tests throughout the recovery program and continues testing once the person gets reinstated, to the point that this driver was tested each morning of practice and the morning of the race.