Driver Shane Hmiel has been suspended from competition indefinitely by NASCAR after failing a third substance abuse test. “Shane failed to fulfill the prescribed rehabilitation program scheduled by NASCAR,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Friday. “As a result, Shane has forfeited his opportunity to compete in any NASCAR-sanctioned events.” Hmiel, the 26-year-old son of longtime crew chief and team official Steve Hmiel, was first suspended in September 2003 after failing a test. He completed a required rehabilitation program and was reinstated for NASCAR competition in February 2004. But he was suspended again last June after failing a second substance abuse test. NASCAR had laid out a road map for Hmiel’s possible reinstatement in 2007 that included medical and psychological reviews and frequent testing. NASCAR said Hmiel failed one of those tests.(ESPN/AP)(2-24-2006)
