Off track drama is like glaze on a steak. It is an additional aspect that flavors the conversation but rarely takes the focus away from the main course. However, as NASCAR made the return to Daytona for mid-season racing the off track activities overwhelmed the run of the race.

Tony Stewart gave it a run to shift attention back to the race as the defending Cup champion drove from the back of the pack to the win as if saying all that mess is nothing because Smoke is here…

But it is something. In a span of two weeks two drivers were the center of bomb drops in the garage, arcing in from totally different directions but both resulting in an exit in some way, shape or form.

Matt Kenseth, sitting on the points lead, announced he was making an exit from Rousch Fenway Racing after a long run with the organization. Speculation continued as racing left Kentucky and Kenseth gained the pole at the track he won for the season opener. Kurt Busch may have been overjoyed at this news as his antics were pushed out of the light for a bit. He had been playing nice since the suspension and even won again at Daytona’s Nationwide Friday race, the Subway Jalapeno 250.

As Busch was celebrating Friday, gearing up for the Cup race as Kenseth was perfecting the “no comment we’re just focusing on winning for this season and this team” speech, the second bomb hit and Kenseth was old news. Kurt was even further off the headline.

A.J. Allmendinger was practically pulled from the cockpit of the #22 Dodge by NASCAR officials on the grid. That is stretching it just a bit. Allmendinger was notified of a failed drug test and suspension a mere hours before the scheduled Coke Zero 400. The Penske team scrambled. They interupted Sam Hornish, Jr. at home at a cookout or cleaning the cat box or washing the car or whatever and tossed him on a transport back to Daytona to fill the #22 seat. He had already left Daytona after running the Nationwide race the day before.

Penske also tagged Kenny Wallace, on standby for Kevin Harvick, for the ride if Hornish could not get there for the green flag. Wallace was hanging around in case Kevin Harvick had to dash out of Daytona because he is on tap as baby-daddy…

It sounds a little as if someone scrambled a soap opera, a reality show and a “B” comedy all together. If you remember, the last time NASCAR was at Daytona the “Three Stooges” were running around…

Sam Hornish, Jr. made it in just in time for the green flag. The word is he’ll be running the next race at New Hampshire as well. The word on A.J. is he has requested a second test be conducted on a “B” sample which would have been taken at the same time. The Penske team and owners are, at this point, holding fast with Allmendinger as the NASCAR drug policy process goes through.

One other oddity, fair or not to shine the light, is brought about by the timing of this Allmendinger thing. Across the ocean at the same time is the “Daytona” of the cycling world. The Tour de France is underway and with it comes an unfortunate history of doping to the point that, years after his last ride, a famed champion is still hounded with accusation. No test has proven positive for this man to this point but the sport is so tainted by tales of drugging that questions continue to toss about.

Here we have “good old boy”, family friendly, red white and blue NASCAR in the depths of a drug charge and the Tour is through the first week. It is ironic that the news has flipped concerning the two sports. Perhaps it is the sheer rarity of drug charges in NASCAR compared to other sports, even other American sports, that makes it stand out like a syringe on the playground.

Where does all this leave Allmendinger? We won’t really know until the conclusion of test “B”. Where does it leave Matt Kenseth? We won’t know until he tells us. Kurt Busch? We may not know until he yells at us again or gets a sponsor… Whichever comes first.