Among the most interesting dynamics to the Mayfield drama is the way other drivers have reacted.

As was to be expected, many drivers have cast an angry eye toward Mayfield, and gone so far as to put their name on court documents that show support for Mayfield’s suspension. This group includes Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, whose affidavits say they don't want to be on the same track as someone who tests positive for a banned substance or has drugs in his system.

Ryan Newman was quite concerned after hearing of Mayfield’s court victory, saying; "People make mistakes. I hope the judge didn't make one."

I understand the concern of these drivers and what they say is basically common sense, but they’re ignoring a key element in this particular situation: The test result is being questioned and it could turn out to be a false positive. Couple that with the fact these guys have racing against Mayfield for the past 15 years without any hint of a drug problem, plus the fact that he would definitely be tested again before getting back on the track, and I think we have a bit of an overreaction by some drivers. What do they think – that after getting this far in court and protesting his innocence for months, that Mayfield is going to show up all hopped up on meth and run everybody into the wall?

Others, such as Mark Martin, have said that if Mayfield can pass a drug test, they has no problem being on the same track with him. This, to me, is a more common sense approach. Martin has raced for more years than pretty much everyone on the track, so his opinion on this matter is one that other drivers might learn something from.

Some drivers used the opportunity to talk trash about Mayfield’s backmarker status this year.
Kyle Busch said, "If he's out there on the race track with me, it doesn't bother me. Normally, we're ahead of him anyway."
Kasey Kahne was equally harsh, saying: "As far as racing with Jeremy, I don't ever race with Jeremy. He's at one end; I'm at the other."

That is kicking a guy when he’s down, but I’ve always applauded drivers who are honest, and if that’s what they want to say, more power to them.

Another common sense approach came from unofficial garage “mayor” Jeff Burton, who urged that if Mayfield is at the track, he is tested as often as possible to make sure he’s telling the truth about being clean.
"The fact of the matter is that he failed a drug test, and that opens the door to question," Burton said. "I deserve to 100 percent know that he is 100 percent clean and so he should be tested soon enough, early enough, often enough to where he can never be on the race track while he is using drugs."

This is a good way to look at the situation as a competitor. You need to know you will be safe on the track, but every man still has the right to prove he is innocent.

And on that note: Happy Independence Day and enjoy the Firecracker 400.


https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

Instead of all the back-and-forth soap opera drama between NASCAR and Jeremy Mayfield about whether he was using illegal drugs this season, I have a simple solution: Take a sample of his hair and test it, so you have a definitive answer.

Mayfield has said from the start that he wouldn’t mind if NASCAR did this, and in his ruling District Court Judge Graham Mullen said that NASCAR can test Mayfield’s urine as often as they like, and they can ask for a hair sample to test. A hair sample is more definitive than a urine sample, and would tell whether Mayfield had used drugs as far back as 3 to 6 months ago. That would pretty much answer the question of whether Mayfield has taken any illegal drugs this season.

But that test hasn’t been ordered. Brian France had a press conference this week where he strongly defended the test results and decision to suspend Jeremy, but did not say a hair test would be done.

The fact that the hair test hasn’t been ordered tells me one thing that I’ve already mentioned in previous writings – NASCAR is afraid it might be wrong. If they did a hair test and it showed no drug use by Mayfield, NASCAR would have a ton of egg on its face and its drug testing policy would lose all credibility. They won’t allow this to happen, so this is why they won’t order a hair test.

As far as NASCAR is concerned, the urine test is correct and they wish this was all over. Unfortunately for them, Mayfield is not giving up. And he has some support from Judge Mullen, who said in his decision that the likelihood of a false positive was "quite substantial."

The most hilarious part of it all is that we could have an answer to the entire messed-up situation with a simple application of a pair of scissors to the locks of Mr. Mayfield.

But NASCAR, it seems, is too afraid to actually do it.

Good thing he didn't show up
The ironic thing is that rain wiped out qualifying at Daytona for the Firecracker 400, so even if Mayfield had showed up in his car, he would have had to pack up his car and go home without getting his shot to make the race.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

No one thought this was going to happen. Everyone thought this July 1 hearing was just a formality and it was clear that Mayfield’s career was effectively over.
Temporary injunctions are very difficult to get approved, especially if you have been found to have used methamphetamines and are seeking the right to go race a car at 200 mph.

But Jeremy Mayfield and his attorney, Bill Diehl, are on top of the world after U.S. District Court senior Judge Graham Mullen ruled that Mayfield’s suspension for failing NASCAR's substance abuse policy should be lifted, which allowed him the right to return as driver and owner of the #41 team, as early as this weekend if he could get his car there in time.
(Note: As of 1 p.m. Friday, Mayfield had not reported to Daytona, and has two hours to show up. We may not see him until next week at Chicago.)

The reason for Mullen’s granting of the injunction is that he believed the harm to Mayfield's reputation was worse than the harm to the sport. Mullen also believes the evidence showed a strong probability that the test is the result of a mix of medications, as Mayfield claims, and not of illegal drug use.

When I first heard this, my first thought was simply, ‘WOW’. This is a tremendously huge win for Mayfield, as it essentially saves his career and allows him to go racing.

NASCAR officials are no doubt mighty pissed off about this ruling, as it clearly undermines their authority to police their own drivers. But as this is only a temporary injunction, they have to keep those feelings to themselves because the court case will go on.
"We are disappointed, but we respect the judge's ruling," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "This is only a temporary injunction. The legal case continues beyond this point, and we will continue to make our case."

I have to say that at this point, the case is about a whole lot more than just Jeremy Mayfield. I’m rooting for the guy, but I don’t have any personal stake in whether the guy ever races again.

The case has captured national media attention, and now it has turned into something other than a question of whether Mayfield raced on drugs. It has turned into a referendum on NASCAR itself, more specifically its drug testing policy, which they have no plans to change.

It’s not just about Mayfield, who likely won’t do much on the track even if he can come back permanently. It’s about a concept now … can you challenge NASCAR’s authority and win that battle in the modern era.

Also, the fact that this judge believes the drug test may not indicate what NASCAR claims it indicates opens up a whole new can of worms, including the big question: DID NASCAR GET IT WRONG?

If it’s found that they did and Mayfield was wrongly suspended, it will be the biggest stain on NASCAR’s credibility as a sports league in a very long time, and open the door for others to challenge their rulings that historically drivers have not done with any success.

When Curtis Turner tried to organize a drivers’ union decades ago, he was issued a lifetime ban by Big Bill France. The sport’s treatment of Tim Richmond as he attempted to keep racing while suffering from AIDS is undefendable, and they admitted to falsely saying he had failed a drug test.

But Mayfield stood up when he was suspended, claiming he doesn’t use drugs. And with Wednesday’s court win, we are at an unprecedented place in the sport’s history. If Mayfield wins the overall court case, not only will be able to driver again, but he will probably get damages in the millions for lost earnings and damage to his reputation. I can already hear the stream of cuss words emanating from Brian France if he ever has to write that check to Mayfield.

NASCAR is on the front page of sports sections all over the country with this story, and they have to be very angry the court went against them. There’s no word yet if or when they’ll appeal, but the France family and Mike Helton have to be punching walls after this judge’s ruling.
In the past, when a driver challenged NASCAR, always won. This time, they may lose.

Jeremy Mayfield may have only won a few races in his career and be a backmarker when he races lately. But if he can come out victorious in court after failing this drug test and challenging the sport’s once-unbeatable front office, he will be remembered in history for a completely different reason.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

The NASCAR Hall of Fame process begins this Thursday with the announcement of the first set of nominees -- 25 names, from which five will be chosen this fall to join the first class to be inducted into the Hall.

Here’s my choice of who should be included on the list of 25, and which 5 should make it into the first round of inductees. (For the record, I did not consider anyone still active in the sport. Their time will come in the future.)

TOP 5:
Richard Petty – The King, 200 wins, 7 titles. That’s good enough for me.
Dale Earnhardt – The Intimidator, 76 wins, 7 titles. Might have passed Petty in total titles if he hadn’t passed on.
David Pearson – In my opinion, Pearson is the most talented driver of all time. If he had been full-time every year, he would have a lot more than the 105 wins and three titles he has. The record books would look a lot different.
Big Bill France – Without him, there is no series … he has to be inducted.
Junior Johnson – Famous for his moonshining past, Johnson never won a title while driving … but he has 50 wins as a driver and 139 as an owner. I’d say that’s Hall of Fame material.

The rest (in no particular order):
Darrell Waltrip … Say what you want about DW as an announcer, but no one can deny his skill on the track, where he won three titles and ticked off a lot of competitors in the process with his often-antagonistic comments.
Cale Yarborough … Three straight titles is an amazing accomplishment, especially in a sport as competitive as NASCAR. Also a master strategist.
Bobby Allison … A man who has seen too much tragedy in his life (including the death of two sons), on the track Bobby was a force to be reckoned with. He finally claimed that elusive title in 1983, and won 84 races.
Lee Petty … Before Richard became The King, his dad claimed three titles in the 1950s. Despite not getting into racing until age 35, Lee Petty will be remembered as a great talent and pioneer of the sport.
Red Byron … First-ever series champion.
Tim Flock … The most famous Flock brother won two titles and was among the first to be banned by NASCAR. Famously drove with a monkey in his car.
Dave Marcis … The Ironman from Wisconsin raced for 35 years and claimed 5 wins, but his real accomplishment is standing as the ultimate example of a little team that always tries to compete with the big boys, no matter how long the odds.
Joe Weatherly … Ex-motorcycle champ moved over to NASCAR and claimed two titles. Ended up dying when his head left the car during a wreck … ushering in the era of the window net.
Buck Baker … Won two Cup titles, and even won the 1952 title in the short-lived “Speedway Division”, which featured open-wheel cars with stock engines. First back-to-back title winner.
Herb Thomas … “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” driver among the biggest stars of the first years of NASCAR.
Davey Allison … Bobby’s son tragically left us too soon … he was on a path to become one of the greats, and could have been a championship 15. contender for many years.
Harry Gant … Handsome Harry is most famous for his four straight Cup wins in 1991, but he had great runs regularly throughout his decades-long career.
Alan Kulwicki … Last owner-driver to claim the title, in 1992, killed the next year in a plane crash. He was not an easy man to work for, but that focus on perfection led him to an unlikely championship.
Wendell Scott … Only black driver ever to win at the Cup level, he endured so much racism over the years, both on and off the track, yet never let that stop him from racing. A truly inspirational man who also could drive a car pretty well.
Ned Jarrett … Learned to drive at age 9. Good move by his dad, as he went on to win 2 titles and become a great race announcer after retiring.

Bill France Jr. – Led NASCAR as it made its march into the mainstream of American sports.
T. Wayne Robertson -- President of sports marketing for cigarette maker and Cup series sponsor R.J. Reynolds, helped grow Nascar from a regional sport into an international success.
Smokey Yunick – Legendary engine builder, mechanic and team owner … mastered the art of using gray areas to get around NASCAR rules
Harry Hyde – Regarded by many as the greatest crew chief of all time.
Glen and Leonard Wood (Wood Brothers Racing) – This team is a key part of NASCAR history, and has been involved in some of the biggest moments in the sport, not to mention inventing the modern-day pit stop. They deserve recognition.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

This is a critical week for Jeremy Mayfield, who hasn’t raced since May due to the failed drug test that led to his suspension.

Mayfield will be in court July 1 to argue for a temporary injunction that would allow him to go racing as soon as this weekend at Daytona. He denies using drugs and claims a combination of Claritin D and the prescription drug Adderrall created a false positive for methamphetamines. The court date comes just as news has broken that a second laboratory has confirmed the positive test originally reported to NASCAR.

According to published reports, the court papers tell of a dire story in Mayfield’s personal life. He and his wife, Shana, claim to have borrowed money and sold belongings to keep up with living expenses.

"I do not understand how or why this is happening to me or my family," Mayfield says in the affidavit. "I have always anticipated that I would be able to race for another 10 years, but I believe my career will be effectively over if I am forced to sit out the rest of this season. I am afraid that I will have to sell my race team, and I know of no other way to make a living except as a professional race car driver."

It may sound dramatic, but it’s probably not far from the truth. When you race cars your whole life and can no longer compete in the sport, what do you do? Unless he can pull a Hail Mary pass and win in court on July 1, Mayfield will be looking at a very tough road ahead.

I do have to wonder one thing: What exactly did Mayfield do with all the millions he made when he was racing full-time for Roger Penske and Ray Evernham? You would think he’d still have at least some of it.

Since he entered the Cup series in 1993, Jeremy Mayfield has earned more than $33 million from racing alone, not to mention his endorsement deals (anyone else remember the classic, “Is that Octane 93 you’re wearing?” commercial),

After racing for 16 years and making millions, if he doesn’t have a dime in the bank and needs to borrow from his family, then he’s just plain stupid when it comes to managing money.

Kyle apologizes … but he didn’t need to
Kyle Busch has apologized for the wreck triggered when he hit Martin Truex Jr. on a restart late in the race at New Hampshire.

“I have to apologize to all those guys,” Busch said. “We got bottled up there in turn one – especially Martin and Jeff Burton and those guys. I meant nothing of that. The 88 (Earnhardt) spun his tires on the restart, I went to choose a lane, went to the middle, and the 42 (Montoya) and I got together a little bit. That pinched me with the 1 (Truex, Jr.) and I spun the 1 out and it was just mayhem from there. I hate it for all those guys because I know they’ve got ‘Chase’ contentions too. We were just battling for every spot out there today. Restarts are hectic, man.”

The thing is, Busch has it right with that last sentence … Restarts are hectic. So when someone spins their tires and everyone checks up, people are going to get hit. I’ve watched the replay and Kyle didn’t really do anything wrong there.

It’s ironic, because whenever Kyle has run people over for no reason, often when he is guesting in the Nationwide or Truck series, he never seems to apologize. But in this case, when the wreck was not all his doing, he does apologize.

It’s quite puzzling … but we are talking about Kyle Busch.

Sponsor woes all over
It looks like Matt Kenseth may be seeking new colors for the hood of the #17 car next season, as Dewalt doesn’t appear to be coming back for 2010. Similar situations exist for Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears over at Richard Childress Racing.

This rough economy, it seems, does not care how big your team is, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more teams announce they are on the hunt for a sponsor before the year is out.

Strange stat of the day
Brad Keselowski has run 5 races in Cup this year. He has 1 win, 1 top-5 finish and 3 top-10s.

His boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has run 17 races in Cup this year. He has 0 wins, 1 top-5 finish and 3 top-10s.

Those numbers just don’t look right, but they are no lie.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

At one point during the race at New Hamphire Sunday, I thought I was having a flashback. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on a tear and battling for positions in the top 3. Instead of running mid-pack, he was up front with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch.

As I watched this, I realized that it was hard for me to remember the last time that happened at a non-restrictor plate track. Let’s just say it’s been a while.

He ended up in 13th place, and while that isn’t exactly a reason to throw a party, what is important is that Jr. is running strongly and gaining confidence. He is sharing information with his crew chief, rather than arguing with him, and Lance McGrew is using that information to make sure the car stays strong or gets better through the race.

At this point, he is not going to make the Chase and contend for the title in 2009. But if Jr. wants to do that in 2010, he has to continue to build his confidence and build his relationship with his new crew chief. When you look at all the great drivers who have won a lot of races and titles, there is always a great driver-crew chief relationship (Johnson-Knaus, Gordon-Evernham, Stewart-Zipadelli, etc.)

Jr. needs to develop this type of relationship with McGrew if he wants to be a success on the level of his championship-winning teammates.

So far, it looks like he’s off to a good start, but there’s still plenty of work to do. What Jr. needs to keep in mind is that he used to win when he was at DEI, and there’s no reason he can’t start to win again, considering he is driving for the best team in NASCAR.

Another silly Danica rumor
The latest silly Danica rumor has her going to Hendrick Motorsports … in a Cup ride!! It’s so silly I can’t believe someone actually wrote it, but it’s out there so I must react. The rumor was Danica getting a ride at Hendrick, with JR Motorsports moving up to Cup so Dale Jr. could move there for 2010.

This is just madness. With all the work Hendrick has enlisted from his entire organization to get Jr.’s team back into shape this season, do you honestly thing Hendrick will let Jr. go off and be part of a satellite team, a la Stewart-Haas? Danica might bring money with her if she came to NASCAR, but she’s still not Dale Jr.

Beyond all that, the sponsorship agreement Jr. has with Hendrick probably make it a bit difficult to just shuffle him over to a satellite team.

And the idea that Danica Patrick could just jump into a Cup car without any stock car training in Nationwide or Trucks is just ludicrous. Hendrick would look like a fool when she took everybody out at Daytona on the first lap of the 500.

Unfortunately, these rumors will continue to be presented for months, because Patrick plans to finish her Indycar season before announcing her decision about next year, when she will likely say she’s moving to Chip Ganassi’s operation and staying in Indycar.

Bass Pro staying at Earnhardt-Ganassi
Some unexpected good news came out of the EGR team this week, when they said sponsor Bass Pro Shops would stay on the #1 car when Martin Truex Jr. likely leaves for Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of the season. That means they will have an open ride that is funded, and can be on the lookout for the best free agent to fill that seat and be a teammate to Juan Pablo Montoya.

The bad news is that this year is pretty weak for free agents. Unless they can work a deal to get someone out of a contract early, the best they can really hope for is to get someone like Jamie McMurray, who might want to move on rather than shifting to a Yates Racing team when Roush has to trim his squadron to four cars.

Red Bull teammates at odds
After being wrecked by Scott Speed on the final lap of the Nationwide race at New Hampshire (which, big shock, was won by Kyle Busch), Brian Vickers did something rarely done in NASCAR – he called out his own Cup teammate, blasting him for the accident and joking that Speed might have done it because he was so frustrated at “how bad he runs” in the Cup series.

I’m not sure how these two get along normally, but that kind of attack between teammates is never good for a team. And for the record, they were both bad on Sunday, finishing 35th and 36th after separate accidents.

A bad race at Richmond?
My Tivo didn’t catch the Indycar race at Richmond, but apparently it was the worst race ever, with essentially no passing and 20 cars just following each other around for a couple of hours. It was so bad, the guy who won the race, Scott Dixon, called it “a bit of a procession, unfortunately,” and runner-up Dario Franchitti was more blunt, calling it an “awful, awful race”.

I didn’t think it was possible to have a boring race at Richmond, but apparently the IRL found a way to make it happen.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

Don’t call it a fluke.

Don’t say he didn’t deserve to win.

Don’t say he’s all hype.

Because if you do any of those things when referring to Joey Logano and his win at New Hamphire Sunday, you are lying to yourself.

I recognize that Joey was running in the 20s all day, and twice had to rely on the Lucky Dog free pass to get back on the lead lap, but that does not change the fact that his team played the strategy better than anyone else.

If anyone else on the lead lap had recognized that rain was coming and saved enough fuel to stay out a little longer, they would have won instead of Logano. All these other great teams were unable to do so, and the Gibbs team was smart enough to see what was coming and capitalized on that.

So I ask … how does that make the win less legitimate?

Since his arrival in Nationwide a little over a year ago, Logano has had his detractors, who claimed he is all hype and wouldn’t be able to make it in Cup. I have a feeling the people who would discredit Logano’s win are in this camp. They were likely pointing out their prediction when Logano found the wall countless times in the first two months of the season.

But the fact remains that a young man who just last month turned 19 years old can even run with the great drivers in the Cup series, often doing quite well (he has three top-10s in addition to this win) is a testament to the fact that this guy can drive a racecar. The first couple months were rough, but he has clearly learned from his mistakes and will continue to improve.

So while this first win can be credited to Greg Zipadelli and the Joe Gibbs Racing team, you can bet that in the future Joey Logano will break a lot more records. I’m quite confident that very soon you’ll see him racing for the lead, not inheriting it due to pit stops.

Logano is already the youngest driver to win a Cup race, beating teammate Kyle Busch by a year. He has already exceeded expectations for his rookie season by winning, and shown signs that he will be a winner for many years to come. I foresee many more records falling as Logano's career progresses.

Anyone who still thinks Logano is going to fail must be living in a dream world.

Double-file restarts spice up race
Normally I can take a couple naps during the New Hampshire races and not miss much, but you can credit the double-file restart rule for making that not be the case this weekend. There was great action on every restart between frontrunners Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and others.

I’m also glad to hear the rule is going to be implemented in the Nationwide series starting next weekend at Daytona. Those races are becoming so predictable, I’ll take anything to spice them up.

Better without Weber
Bill Weber was suspended for the New Hampshire race after having some sort of altercation at his hotel. I’ve never been a fan of Weber as a NASCAR host, and the fact that the commentary this race was better than usual proves my point. If he never came back, I don’t think many people would be upset.

Surprise runs
Credit must be given after great runs for Penske’s Sam Hornish Jr., who finished 8th but ran as high as fourth for a while, and Front Row Motorosports’ John Andretti, who came home 16th. Also, Juan Montoya had a top-12 run and was able to maintain his spot in Chase territory, 1 point ahead of 13th-place Kasey Kahne.

Stewart continues to be the man
And while I’m talking numbers, the seasonlong numbers are amazing for Tony Stewart. He has 13 top-10 finishes and 9 top-5s in 17 races. That means he is almost always up front by the time the race ends. And this is with the new team, making the feat more impressive. It’s no doubt the best first half of the year he’s ever had, and he’s known as a second-half driver. The competition better watch out.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu