Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Randy LaJoie told Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody that he is guilty of violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy. LaJoie won the then-NASCAR Busch Series championship in both 1996 and 1997, and has recently worked as an analyst for both ESPN and Sirius NASCAR Radio, in addition to manufacturing racing seats for his company, The Joie Of Seating. He said he expects an announcement from NASCAR within the hour, confirming his suspension, but wanted to “get out in front of it” by speaking out now. “I screwed up,” said LaJoie in an exclusive Sirius Speedway interview. “NASCAR tested me Day when I wanted go spot for someone at Nashville. I already have two NASCAR licenses, but they said I needed a spotter’s license, and that included taking a drug test. I took the test, and got a call a few days later saying I had tested positive for marijuana.” LaJoie called the incident “a one-time, isolated situation,” saying he smoked marijuana just once, immediately following the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I volunteer my time driving a golf cart taking people back and forth,” he said. “I dropped one group off in the campground after the race, and there was a pretty good party going on. I did something I shouldn’t have done, and while I sure wish I had picked up a different bunch, I don’t blame any of them. I blame myself. You can’t fix stupid.” LaJoie said he will do whatever NASCAR requires in order to be reinstated. “I have already spoken to my own drug abuse counselor, and I am waiting for a call back from NASCAR’s doctor,” he said. “I’ll go wherever they tell me to go, and I’ll do what they tell me to do.”(6-22-2010)
UPDATE: Randy LaJoie, a crew member for the #18 team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy. On June 11, LaJoie was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book. (NASCAR PR)(6-22-2010)
UPDATE 2: NASCAR and ESPN have each suspended racing analyst and former driver Randy LaJoie indefinitely for violating its substance-abuse policy. In an interview Tuesday on SIRIUS XM Radio, LaJoie said he smoked marijuana once in May. LaJoie was tested by NASCAR because he wanted to become a spotter for one of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nationwide Series teams. He has not competed at any of NASCAR’s top three national levels since 2006 and has been an analyst for NASCAR the past several years. “I take full responsibility for my actions and respect NASCAR’s decision,” LaJoie said in a statement. “I wish to apologize to my wife and family first, to NASCAR, to my fans and to the various media companies which I work including ESPN, Sirius Radio, Speed Channel and Performance Racing Network. I have this day sought to enroll in a substance abuse program. My use of marijuana was an isolated incident following the Coca Cola 600. “I plan to follow the recommendations of the substance abuse counselor and suggestions of NASCAR and hope that someday I can prove to NASCAR and all the people with whom I associate that I have taken such steps to see that instances such as this do not reoccur.” LaJoie raced in 44 races over 12 years in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series. His success was in the Nationwide Series, where he won 15 races over 19 seasons and two Nationwide Series championships.(ESPN).(6-22-2010)
