DRAG RACING AND DRUG TESTING - THE PERSONAL SIDE
Tue, 2009-09-01 10:18
No
one escapes life without physical problems. Jack Beckman, in a quite
visible way, battled cancer. John Force fought to come back 
from a
life-threatening accident two years ago in Ennis, Texas. And, Beckman
and Force are not alone. There are others on the circuit who for
whatever ails them take over the counter medications or medications
prescribed by a doctor. They take drugs, but they take them to secure a
certain quality of life and/or for life itself.
Beckman's battle with cancer is well documented. He continued to race as he battled the cancer, which means he ran while the drugs were in his system, but not before he made sure there wouldn't be any issues.
“They put them in intravenously,” Beckman said when asked about the drugs he was taking while battling the cancer. “I actually checked with the doctors because I still raced during the chemotherapy. I made sure there wasn't anything that was going to conflict with the NHRA's policy.”
John Force was determined to make sure his body was squeaky clean when he came back from his accident. “I take six different medications” he said, while sitting in his motorcoach.. “They are all meant to slow me down.”
Force felt the medications he was taking, similar to those any 60 year old man might take, were hurting his performance so he went to his doctors. He was right. His medications are meant to give him a better quality of life and to suspend or delay the inevitability of the ravages of the progression of life.
Those are the examples of drugs necessary for life. We take them because doctor's tell us we need to take them.
It's the other drugs – cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines to name a few – that we can chose not to consume. In the battle to keep drugs out of drag racing the war is won when an individual makes the choice to avoid drugs and avoid those who can't see the dangers.
Beckman had an interesting take on just saying “no” not only to drugs but to situations where drugs could be present.
“I guess you could ask yourself if you were alone in a hotel room with Cindy Crawford and she was drunk, would you take advantage? I would never put myself in a situation where I was in that position where there would be any sort of potential enticement.
“I'm a fairly boring person by nature. I like my family. I like hanging out at home and I like spending time with my friends and none of my friends are into drugs because frankly I have other things to do and I don't need any detours along the way. A lot of life is your preparation for it.”
Beckman likes being prepared and I likes the current NHRA drug testing policy. He believes it is not only respected, but needed.
“I think if you are going to have a zero tolerance policy for being under the influence of something, whether it be prescription, over the counter or otherwise, this it probably the best place to have it,” said Beckman. “I don't want the person in the other lane having their judgement or awareness impaired when they're in the next lane going 300 miles per hour next to me.”
There was a day, not so far in the distant past when drivers didn't
make the best choices. Force has confirmed, in at least two interviews,
that while he was never drunk the morning of an event, he was fairly
well hungover. After his wreck, he gave up alcohol. When his reaction
times seemed to be going in the wrong direction he sought out his
doctors to find out if his prescribed medications might be having and
adverse effect on his abilities at the line. When he found out they
could actually slow his reactions just enough to make a difference at
the tree, he worked with the doctors to find a regimen of ingestion
that alleviated the issue.
“My doctors told me the medications I am taking are meant to slow me down. So, sure they could be causing me to lose hundredths of a second at the line. They told me to stop taking my medications on Thursday so that by Sunday my system would be free of the effects,” Force said. “It was good to find out because Austin Coil was telling me maybe I should take up drinking again because ever since I stopped drinking I haven't won a race.”
Force wasn't about to start drinking again. On the day of his interview on this matter, he spent the morning preaching to youngsters about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
“They must have thought I was crazy,” said Force. “There was this old guy talking all crazy to these young kids (10-12 year olds). I bet I scared them to death.”
It had to be quite a sight to see; John Force, his lips moving 300 miles per hour, putting the fear of God into those youngsters.
Force believes every word he says. He believes the NHRA is doing a stand up job trying to keep the sport clean and, like Beckman, he is standing tall spreading the word – there is no place in drag racing for substance abuse of any kind.
from a
life-threatening accident two years ago in Ennis, Texas. And, Beckman
and Force are not alone. There are others on the circuit who for
whatever ails them take over the counter medications or medications
prescribed by a doctor. They take drugs, but they take them to secure a
certain quality of life and/or for life itself.Beckman's battle with cancer is well documented. He continued to race as he battled the cancer, which means he ran while the drugs were in his system, but not before he made sure there wouldn't be any issues.
“They put them in intravenously,” Beckman said when asked about the drugs he was taking while battling the cancer. “I actually checked with the doctors because I still raced during the chemotherapy. I made sure there wasn't anything that was going to conflict with the NHRA's policy.”
John Force was determined to make sure his body was squeaky clean when he came back from his accident. “I take six different medications” he said, while sitting in his motorcoach.. “They are all meant to slow me down.”
Force felt the medications he was taking, similar to those any 60 year old man might take, were hurting his performance so he went to his doctors. He was right. His medications are meant to give him a better quality of life and to suspend or delay the inevitability of the ravages of the progression of life.
Those are the examples of drugs necessary for life. We take them because doctor's tell us we need to take them.
It's the other drugs – cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines to name a few – that we can chose not to consume. In the battle to keep drugs out of drag racing the war is won when an individual makes the choice to avoid drugs and avoid those who can't see the dangers.
Beckman had an interesting take on just saying “no” not only to drugs but to situations where drugs could be present.
“I guess you could ask yourself if you were alone in a hotel room with Cindy Crawford and she was drunk, would you take advantage? I would never put myself in a situation where I was in that position where there would be any sort of potential enticement.
“I'm a fairly boring person by nature. I like my family. I like hanging out at home and I like spending time with my friends and none of my friends are into drugs because frankly I have other things to do and I don't need any detours along the way. A lot of life is your preparation for it.”
Beckman likes being prepared and I likes the current NHRA drug testing policy. He believes it is not only respected, but needed.
“I think if you are going to have a zero tolerance policy for being under the influence of something, whether it be prescription, over the counter or otherwise, this it probably the best place to have it,” said Beckman. “I don't want the person in the other lane having their judgement or awareness impaired when they're in the next lane going 300 miles per hour next to me.”
There was a day, not so far in the distant past when drivers didn't
make the best choices. Force has confirmed, in at least two interviews,
that while he was never drunk the morning of an event, he was fairly
well hungover. After his wreck, he gave up alcohol. When his reaction
times seemed to be going in the wrong direction he sought out his
doctors to find out if his prescribed medications might be having and
adverse effect on his abilities at the line. When he found out they
could actually slow his reactions just enough to make a difference at
the tree, he worked with the doctors to find a regimen of ingestion
that alleviated the issue.“My doctors told me the medications I am taking are meant to slow me down. So, sure they could be causing me to lose hundredths of a second at the line. They told me to stop taking my medications on Thursday so that by Sunday my system would be free of the effects,” Force said. “It was good to find out because Austin Coil was telling me maybe I should take up drinking again because ever since I stopped drinking I haven't won a race.”
Force wasn't about to start drinking again. On the day of his interview on this matter, he spent the morning preaching to youngsters about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
“They must have thought I was crazy,” said Force. “There was this old guy talking all crazy to these young kids (10-12 year olds). I bet I scared them to death.”
It had to be quite a sight to see; John Force, his lips moving 300 miles per hour, putting the fear of God into those youngsters.
Force believes every word he says. He believes the NHRA is doing a stand up job trying to keep the sport clean and, like Beckman, he is standing tall spreading the word – there is no place in drag racing for substance abuse of any kind.
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