NASCAR Crew Chief Claims He Failed Drug Test Due to 'Diet Coffee'
A NASCAR crew chief says he’s been suspended indefinitely after testing positive for a banned substance under the sport’s substance abuse policy.
But while Germain Racing’s Matt Borland, crew chief for driver Ty Dillon’s No. 13 entry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, admits to failing the random drug test, he says he didn’t consume anything nefarious.
Rather, Borland says a “diet coffee” was to blame.
“This past weekend I was informed by a NASCAR doctor that I had DMAA (2-amino-5-methylhexanamine) in my system,” Borland said in a statement Monday, according to NBC Sports.
“After the surprise of this and not even knowing what that was, I asked if it could have come from a diet coffee I have been drinking for the past six months. I gave the doctor all of the details of the coffee and ingredients, and after he researched it, he said he thought that this was the cause,” he added.
While Borland believes the coffee is reason he failed the drug test, he still accepted “full responsibility” for his suspension.
“Even after doing my due-diligence, I felt comfortable in drinking the coffee. I plan to work with NASCAR to figure out what exactly has happened and resolve this issue as quickly as we can,” he said.
Borland on suspension: “Even after doing my due diligence, I felt comfortable in drinking the coffee. I plan to work with NASCAR to figure out what exactly has happened and resolve this issue as quickly as we can. I will cooperate with them and do whatever is requested of me.”
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 26, 2019
“I will cooperate with them and do whatever is requested of me to make this situation right. I have worked in the NASCAR garage for 20 years now, and have never been a part of anything like this in my life. I take full responsibility for this incident and want to get it taken care of completely,” Borland added.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to my team, sponsors, associates, NASCAR and my family and I look forward to resolving this situation in an efficient manner.”
He concluded his statement by apologizing “to my team, sponsors, associates, NASCAR and my family and I look forward to resolving this situation in an efficient manner.”
With Borland now suspended, Justin Alexander will take over as Dillon’s crew chief.
Alexander previously served as crew chief for Dillon’s brother, Austin, when he won the Daytona 500 last year, according to NASCAR.com.
Borland, who’s in his second year with the Germain team and has 13 career victories at the Monster Energy Series, will need to go through the NASCAR Road to Recovery program before he can be reinstated.
Team owner Bob Germain Jr., meanwhile, says he’s supporting his crew chief.
Bob Germain on Borland suspension: “Based upon the ingredients label we do not believe that Matt had reason to know that the coffee contained a banned substance…We stand behind Matt. He has been and remains an integral part of our race team and we look forward to his return.”
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 26, 2019
“Matt Borland has informed me that he was notified by NASCAR that a random urinalysis showed a substance, DMAA (2-amino-5-methylhexanamine) that is impermissible under the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy,” Germain said in a statement.
“We reviewed the ingredients label on a coffee product that Matt had been drinking and it includes DMHA (2-amino-5-methylheptane), a derivative of DMAA.”
“Based upon the ingredients label we do not believe that Matt had reason to know that the coffee contained a banned substance,” he added.
“However, we also understand and respect NASCAR’s decisions to strictly uphold their policies for each and every owner, driver and crew member in the garage. As an organization, we stand behind Matt. He has been and remains an integral part of our race team and we look forward to his return to the garage and pit box.”
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