Ron Hornaday, the defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, admitted to using the anabolic steroid testosterone as part of a therapy attempting to treat an unknown medical condition that caused him to lose considerable bodyweight. He sought testosterone replacement therapy at Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center to restore his compromised health.

“I’d lost 38 pounds [in the 2004 season], and no doctor could tell me what was wrong,” Hornaday said, adding that a friend encouraged him to consult with the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center. A local nurse came to his house to take his blood, he said, and forwarded the results to the clinic. Hornaday provided records to ESPN showing that the drugs were prescribed by doctors at the clinic within a day of that visit.

Hornaday has publicly admitted the use of testosterone after his medical records were exposed by ESPN’s Shaun Assael. Hornaday was ultimately diagnosed with the life threatening Grave’s disease.

Craftsman Truck Series defending champion Ron Hornaday acknowledged using testosterone cream in periods from 2004 to ‘06, explaining yesterday he had used the product to treat a condition that has since been diagnosed as Graves’ disease, or a hyperactive thyroid.

NASCAR has evaluated Ron Hornaday’s use of testosterone for medical purposes and has exonerated him of doping violations. NASCAR Vice President Jim Hunter was understanding of Hornaday’s medical situation.

“It is our understanding that Ron had a very serious health issue, which is continuing to be addressed,” Hunter said.

“We don’t see where Ron did anything wrong,” Hunter said. “Our substance-abuse policy is based on reasonable suspicion, and if you talk to physicians … on a case-by-case basis, depending on what a person’s condition is, then there are prescriptions with all sorts of substances used for treatment. In some cases, those are acceptable.”

Yet Shaun Assael and others continue to assail Hornaday as a cheater. While the criticism may appear insensitive and likely tainted by contemporary trends of steroid hysteria, it does raise good questions about NASCAR’s lack of therapeutic use exemptions in their anti-doping policy.