Denny Hamlin has more than Bubba Wallace to worry about moving forward in the season. Because, via NBCSports, Kevin Harvick thinks he has upset the majority of drivers with his Adderall comments last week.
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"Those 70 percent of drivers he referred to are mad because of the fact that you're the guy sitting in the trailer doing the drug testing 10 or 12 times a year from a random standpoint and understanding the things you can and can't do,'' Harvick said on Sirius XM's "Happy Hours" show. "Whether he thinks it was an off-the-cuff comment and something he meant to say or not to say, it still offended most everybody in the garage.
"If you're going to play around, joking and think it's not something that everybody is going to take offense to ... I think he's probably seeing that nobody really appreciated it and it put everybody in a bad spot...I would call it an edgy interview source where all this came from. Sometimes you've got to keep your mouth shut."
Related: Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin had an altercation after an on-track incident in the Daytona 500
Hamlin previously said on the BarStool Sports podcast that NASCAR drivers were on drugs — and the organization was quick to respond.
At about the 28 minute mark, Hamlin was asked if he thought there was a "significant amount of NASCAR drivers who take Adderall or some other ADD" type medicine. After a pause, Hamlin said, "I would say yes." When asked to put a percentage on it, he said, "70 percent."
NASCAR writer Jeff Gluck tweeted a statement from a clearly irritated NASCAR.
"NASCAR conducts random drug tests regularly, and among the list of prohibited substances is amphetamines. If any competitor is found to have tested positive for a substance taken without a prescription, NASCAR has a zero-tolerance policy and the member will be indefinitely suspended. Simply put, NASCAR is confident in its drug testing program."
Within hours after Denny Hamlin said, on a podcast, that 70 percent of NASCAR drivers were taking illegal drugs, he said, no, he was joking.
He made the remarks to NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck and ESPN.
"I think anyone who has listened to their podcast knows they are funny and joking around and not serious whatsoever," Hamlin told said."They make jokes about a lot of things.
"I literally said we get drug-tested all the time. When they asked me how many (drivers), I said I didn't know, and they said, 'Just give us a number,' and I joked around and gave them a number that has no fact behind it. It's getting blown up."
Hamlin could be well served heeding that advice, without any friends on the track, NASCAR can be a rough place.
