DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Just after 6 p.m. on Saturday afternoon (July 7), NASCAR Senior Vice President Steve O’Donnell announced that AJ Allmendinger has been temporarily suspended by NASCAR. This decision came after Allmendinger was notified of a positive “A” sample from a random drug test conducted last weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
For tonight’s race, Sam Hornish Jr. will take Allmendinger’s place in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge. However, the No. 22, which Allmendinger qualified eighth, will have to start in the rear of the field.
Allmendinger has 72 hours to request testing of his “B” sample, as written in NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy. If that test comes up positive as well, then Allmendinger would be suspended indefinitely per the Substance Abuse Policy.
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
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