NASCAR’s Allmendinger says he tested positive for stimulant

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Suspended NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger said Wednesday that he tested positive for a stimulant and was gathering his medicines and supplements in an attempt to figure out what got him into trouble.

A statement issued by Allmendinger's business manager did not identify the stimulant, and he doesn't know what caused him to fail the random test conducted June 29. He was suspended Saturday. NASCAR has not revealed the substance, either.

"AJ tested positive for a stimulant. He has no idea why the first test was positive, and he has never knowingly taken any prohibited substance," said Tara Ragan, vice president of Allmendinger's Walldinger Racing Inc. "AJ is collecting his medicines and supplements for testing to determine whether an over-the-counter product caused his positive test."

Allmendinger, 30, is the second Sprint Cup Series driver to be suspended under the NASCAR drug policy enacted in 2009.

"Obviously I would never do anything to jeopardize my opportunity here at Penske Racing or to my fellow drivers. I am very conscious about my training and health and would never knowingly take a prohibited drug," he said Tuesday.

In March, Allmendinger signed on as a brand ambassador for "Fuel in a Bottle," energy and protein power shots owned by Charlotte-based BYB Brands, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

There has been no official link to his positive test and the power shots. But, among the ingredients listed on the label are L-Phenylalanine and caffeine, which are mild stimulants.