DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., June 22 (UPI) -- Driver Shane Hmiel Wednesday was suspended from Nextel Cup races until the 2007 season for failing a substance-abuse test.
NASCAR officials had suspended Hmiel indefinitely on June 3 after he failed the text. It was his second offense.
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He had been suspended in September 2003 for the same violation. He then completed a prescribed rehabilitation program and was reinstated in February, 2004.
On its Web site, NASCAR said it will lay out a road map for Hmiel's possible reinstatement in 2007, including a rehabilitation program that will include medical and psychological reviews, as well as frequent testing.
Hmiel had no immediate comment.
