When Pro Stock motorcycle rider Matt Guidera was suspended Saturday afternoon by the NHRA for not complying with the Substance Abuse Policy, it sent a shockwave through the pits at the US Nationals.

NHRA suspended Guidera immediately for a year, but he’s going to appeal the decision.

“I heard about it (Guidera’s suspension) after the second round (of the Ringers Gloves event) Saturday,” said Hines, who won the Ringers race on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

“Someone told me that he was not on the qualifying sheet anymore and they said don’t say anything because it hasn’t been officially announced yet. It’s a bummer deal, but it says right there when they serve you with the papers that you have 24 hours and you have to sign your signature to make sure that you’re going to be there.”

Hines was also drug tested at Indy.

“I got summoned, and my sheet said 10:55 a.m. Friday morning,” Hines said. “I had to be there within 24 hours and test. I believe almost every person in Pro Stock Motorcycle was summoned to a drug test.”
Hines said he took his drug test at 3 p.m. Friday.

“We knew that they had summoned Eddie (Krawiec), but they could never meet up with him at the same time to give him the paperwork, so he just went over there and did it,” Hines said. “Chip Ellis, this is his first race on his Vance & Hines Suzuki, and he was summoned. They got everybody. You see them driving up and down the pit road, you’re like ‘so, who got tested?’ Then, they pull up to your trailer and it’s like ‘Oh well, it doesn’t really matter, I’m just going to go over there and do it.’ This is the third time I’ve been tested in the last calendar year. I got tested in Dallas last year, Gainesville this year and here.”

According to Hines, he had not been tested in his first seven years of competing in the NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Hines made his debut in the class in 2002.

“This is just part of the deal, if you get picked, you have to go,” the 26-year-old Hines said. 

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