NASCAR AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR spent Friday collecting signed copies of its
substance abuse policy from drivers and team members -- a requirement
before cars are allowed on the track. The four-page document gives the
sanctioning body permission to randomly drug test anyone involved in the
series. NASCAR tested fewer than a dozen competitors in its top three
series last season, said Kevin Triplett, managing director of business
operations.

The policy has undergone several changes over the past 10 years, but
remains the same as the 2002 document, Triplett said.

NASCAR prohibits all illegal drugs at any time under the policy; bans the
use of alcohol on the day of an event; and warns of the effect of certain
prescription and nonprescription medications.

Random tests are done when NASCAR has a "reasonable cause" to believe a
participant might have violated its policy, Triplett said.

A list of signs or symptoms that can lead to a test range from accidents
during events, chronic forgetfulness or broken promises and deteriorating
personal hygiene or appearance.

The strictest part of the policy is the rule on the consumption of alcohol,
with a blood alcohol level set at 0.02 percent to be considered under the
influence.

The limit in Florida, where the season-opening Daytona 500 will be run on
Feb. 16, is 0.08.

"This is a pretty dangerous sport," Triplett said. "You have people working
around machines and heavy equipment, so we have strict rules."

Triplett said in his 10 years of collecting the signed forms, he's never
had a driver or crew member refuse to sign the release.

Evernham-Gordon divorce

Ray Evernham was one of the many car owners who refused to open his books
for Brooke Gordon to use in her ongoing divorce suit with four-time Winston
Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

Evernham, Gordon's former crew chief, said the decision was both business
and personal.

"It was a double-edged sword for me because as a business owner, I have to
protect my interests and don't want those things being revealed to my
competitors," he said. "But I was also Best Man at their wedding and it's a
very awkward situation for me to be in. I care about both of them and I
have no dog in this fight."

Brooke Gordon's lawyer has asked most of NASCAR's top teams to turn over
their contracts with drivers and sponsors to gauge Gordon's estimated worth
as a partial car owner at Hendrick Motorsports.

None have complied because NASCAR contracts are highly sensitive, with car
owners trying to keep their deals secret from each other.

IROC sponsor out

True Value is ending its 19-year sponsorship agreement with the
International Race of Champions at the end of the season.

IROC said Friday that True Value, owned by parent company TruServ, was
pulling out of auto racing because of the realignment of the corporation's
marketing investments.

True Value joined the IROC series in 1984 as an associate sponsor and
became the title sponsor in 1999.

The IROC series matches 12 drivers from different forms of auto racing in
equally prepared cars. The goal is to eliminate the mechanical advantages
and to produce a winner determined solely on driver skill.

Red light

NASCAR's new garage access policy went into effect for the first time
Friday when officials cleared the garage of guests and fans lacking proper
credentials 30 minutes before the cars went on the track.

A half-hour before the cars scheduled to take part in Saturday night's
Budweiser Shootout went out for the first on-track appearance of 2003 for
Winston Cup cars, red lights above each entrance and affixed to several of
the team haulers in the garage area began to flash.

About a dozen security people and police made a sweep through the garage
compound, but there were few people without the required "hot passes" or
NASCAR season credentials.

A bigger test of the new policy is expected before the Shootout and prior
to pole qualifying Sunday for the Daytona 500.

Slow look

The first technical inspection of the season always takes extra time, but
Friday's Winston Cup tech line was unusually slow because of the new
templates being used on all makes.

"Things are actually going pretty good," said Gary Nelson, NASCAR's
managing director of competition. "They got all the Shootout cars through
with about half an hour to spare (before the first practice) and they
should be done with everybody by 8 o'clock."

The inspections began at 7 a.m. and by 11 a.m., the waiting line stretched
for several hundred yards through the garage area.

This year, each car, whether Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge or Pontiac, must fit 32
different templates, including 18 that are the same for all makes. Both
Chevrolet and Pontiac are introducing new models this season.

"It's slow," said Andy Graves, team manager for Chip Ganassi Racing.
"There's no major problem, though.

"The new templates are interlocking, and it just depends on how they're
held whether you get through or not. The guys back at the shop may have
just held them a little different."