Subdued Stewart wins in spectacular fashion

Tony Stewart's dramatic victory at Daytona didn't leave the driver too excited Saturday night.

 

Kyle Busch took the lead on the next-to-last lap when Stewart admitted he made a  mistake and slowed too much in trying to keep Busch from getting to make a big run. Stewart said he timed his braking wrong and Busch shot past. That created the dramatic last lap.

 

As they came off turn 4, Stewart tied to get by. He eventually moved high and Busch went to block but Stewart was already there. They tapped. Busch spun in front of Stewart and slammed the wall on the driver's side. Then Kasey Kahen plowed into the rear of Busch's car, jacking the rear about 5 or so feet off the ground. And then, Busch's teammate, Joey Logano, T-boned Busch behind the left front wheel.

 

Amazingly, Busch climbed out of his car and walked away. It took 3 NASCAR officials to get him to go into a vehicle to go to the infield care center. He did not talk to the media after the race.

 

Stewart had plenty to say about the incident. Here's some of what he said in a very calm voice that left some wondering how much he was beating himself up about the finish. Also, one thing Stewart said was that he planned to reach out to Busch sometime this week to discuss the finish.

 

Q: You seemed shaken a little bit in Victory Lane about the finish. Is that the case?

 

TONY: "I'm not shaken by it. It doesn't matter who it is, you just don't want a race to be decided like that. It's hard work that gets these cars to the race track and ... it's just a bad situation. It's not bad because we're put in a bad position. It jus tis what it is. I just don't feel as much gratification from winning this race as I probably should. I guess just because I don't like the way the outcome happened. I don't want any part of earning a race because the guy that was leading the race got wrecked.

 

"I don't know that we did anything wrong. I've seen replays of it and he's protecting his position, which he's got to do. I mean, that's what he has to do as  a driver. He can't just sit ther eand let us make a move like that and not try to defend it. But it puts him, it puts us, it put Kasey Kahne behind him in a bad position.

 

Q: You seem to being kind of hard on yourself. Do you have any doubt that anyone in that circumstance wouldn't have handled that the way that was done?

 

TONY: "No, not necessarily. I just don't like it to end that way. You work hard to get to this level and you don't want to see races decided by guys wrecking coming to the finish line. I mean, that's not what it's about. Maybe I am being hard on myself, I don't know. I just don't like the way that ended up.

 

"It's nobody's fault, it's just racing. It's a product of the environment. It doesn't mean the environmentis bad, it just means that's the way it is. Like I said, he did what he  had to do, andhe defended his spot and we held our. It wasn't even that we tried to hold our ground, we just got on his quarter panel and that's just how you suck up. As soon as he moved, I didn't anticipate him moving, and went across the nose. But no matter, like I said, even if it's 100 percent his fault, I still won't feel good about it.

 

"I think racers hold the integrity of the sport in mind and it was a good race, it was a good race all night as far as guys moving around.''

 

Q: After the contact in an incident like yours are you aware where the finish line is or even thinking that or are you just concerned with keeping your car pointed in the right direction?

 

TONY: "I was kind of surprised at where we came out of that ordeal, not necessarily with the lead but the direction we were pointed. It really easily could have taken us out of a chance to win the race. It happened so quick and he went across the nose so fast and the next thing we now we're pointed at the (finish) line. I'm assuming Jimmie (Johnson) ran second to us. I have no idea where he was at, if he was even close to passing us.

 

"The one thing I learned from Ryan (Newman) when Ryan had his wreck at Talladega at the last lap, he said the one thinghe knew is even when he made contact with Carl (Edwards) is that he had to hold (the throttle) wide open because he knew he could slide to the finish line and that's someting that gave him _ I think he finished third out of that _ and that's the one thing that I remembered was that he said he just never lifted and ... that's why he was able to salvage the finish he had. So, it was kind of my mindset once it happened was just don't get out of the gas.''

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

NOTES:

 

# Mark Martin and Kyle Busch are tied for the most wins this season with three. Yet, with eight races left until the Chase field is set, Martin is in danger of missing the Chase. Martin crashed early, finished 38th and fell out of the top 12. He's 13th in the standings and is 65 points behind 12th-place Kasey Kahne. Busch is 8th in the standings and 133 points ahead of Martin, so Busch's position, while not great, is getting better. Martin, though, can't afford too many bad races.

 

# Dale Earnhardt Jr. was collected in the 13-car crash and finished 39th. He fell to 21st in the points and is 356 points out of 12th. Time to focus on next year.

 

# With Tony Stewart winning and Jeff Gordon finishing 28th, Stewart leads second-place Gordon by 180 points in the season standings.

 

For those who missed it, here's the top 10 from Saturday night:

 

1. Tony Stewart

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Carl Edwards

5. Kurt Busch

6. Marcos Ambrose

7. Brian Vickers

8. Matt Kenseth

9. Juan Pablo Montoya

10. Elliott Sadler

 

POINTS

 

1. Tony Stewart .......2,719 points

2. Jeff Gordon ......... -180 points

3. Jimmie Johnson ..-194 points

4. Kurt Busch ...........-305

5. Carl Edwards ......-402

6. Denny Hamlin .....-417

7. Ryan Newman .....-484

8. Kyle Busch ............-485

9. Greg Biffle .............-504

10. Matt Kenseth .......-518

11. JP Montoya .........-532

12. Kasey Kahne .......-553

 

 

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Mayfield not at Daytona but issues statement

Jeremy Mayfield never made it to Daytona International Speedway this weekend but issued a statement explaining his status and hopes to be next weekend's race at Chicago. Here's the statement:

 

To All My Fans, Friends and Fellow Competitors:

 

First and foremost, Shana and I want to thank all of you who have supported us. To say that the last two months have been two of the wost months of my entire life is an understatement. The only event I can think of that brought me even greater pain was the loss of my father in 2007.

 

Last Wednesday's ruling by (U.S. District Court) Judge (Graham) Mullen was a giant step towards clearing m y name and getting the 41 Car back on the track. Our hope was to bring our team to Daytona this weekend to qualify and race in teh Coke Zero 400. For those who know me, there is nothing in the world that I would rather do than race for you all on the 4th of July. Following Judge Mullen's ruling, we had less than 24 hours to prepare the car, assemble a team, get sponsorship and travel to Daytona. Ultimately, we were unable to get this done in time.

 

We've received several phone calls from friends and fans as well as friends in the media wondering if we would be coming to Daytona this weekend, anyway. We've decided that our time is best spent back here in North Carolina working around the clock to try and secure the funding needed to get the 41 Car to Chicago and beyond. Shana and I, as well as everyone at Mayfield Motorsports will do everything in our power to race next weekend.

 

Finally, we've been watching on television and reading online about the "Storm Clouds Over Daytona'' and the "Mayfield Media Circus.'' Honeslty, this is the last thing Shana or I want for anybody. This weekend shouldn't be about a questionable drug test or a flawed drug testing system. It should be about celebrating our country; the greatest country in the world. So, enjoy the weekend with your friends and family, and have a very Happy Independence Day. We look forward to seeing you all at the track very soon.

 

Thanks again for keeping us in your hearts and prayers.

 

Jeremy and Shana Mayfield

 

 

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Dale Jr. more confident; snipe hunting at Daytona

An interesting day at Daytona on Saturday. NASCAR Chairman Brian France showed as much emotion as we've ever seen from him as he defended the Substance Abuse Policy. Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked about his season and how he's doing with a new crew chief. And the search for Jeremy Mayfield at Daytona, i.e. the great snipe hunt.

 

First to France. He vigorously defended the Substance Abuse Policy in light of the federal judge granting Jeremy Mayfield an injunction to again be able to drive in the Cup series for the first time since he was indefinitely suspended May 9 for a failed drug test. To see what France said, just go to the next entry in the blog. I posted the transcript.

 

As for Mayfield, we in the media have been searching for him the past two days at Daytona. He was here on Thursday. Then came the rumor he was going to be at the track Friday. Today, there was talk that he had picked up his credential and was in the Nationwide garage. After a lot of time searching by many of us, he wasn't found. Supposedly he may be at the track Saturday. The search will continue.

 

On to Dale Jr. He talked about his season. Here's what he said:

 

"I've been more comfortable in the car. I've liked what I've felt from the race cars over the last couple of weeks. Lance (McGrew, crew chief) and I seem to communicate well. He's very excited and we are able to kind of root each other on throughout the race it seems. 

 

"Once we get back to where we want to be, we'll appreciate that much more than we probably did in the past because with how competitive the COT has made this sport, if you fall behind a little bit, it takes more to get back than it used to. You used to be able to rebound in a week or two. But if you get behind in this sport now, there is a chance you may not recover for some time. So it definitely has been a trying time and it was really hard and our team was really, really low. But just knowing where we were and how I felt two months ago to now, I can definitely say it's a big difference for us. And there's no one person or one thing that really deserves the credit. We just made a couple of changes and everything seems to be moving in the right direction. So, we'll just keep it  up.''

 

 

 

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Brian France discusses Mayfield, racing and other issues

NASCAR Chairman Brian France met with the media at Daytona to discuss several topics. Here's a transcript of what he said as provided to the media by NASCAR.

 

An Interview With: BRIAN FRANCE

THE MODERATOR:  We are now joined in the infield media center by NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer, Brian France.  Brian will start off with a mid-year update and brief discussion on current events and then we'll turn it over to questions from the media.

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Thank you, and good afternoon, a couple things.  This is always a time of the year that I address my good friends of the media, we get to spend the holidays together, here the 4th of July weekend, so that's good.  And also, a couple things.

 

One, I've been spending more time with you in this particular year with all of the things going on with the manufacturers and that whole issue, and certainly the recent developments with Jeremy Mayfield and the NASCAR substance abuse policy, and I'll get into that and I'll take any questions as I always do. 

 

 

And a couple quick things because we are at the mid-year, and as you heard earlier from the ISC people in the sports car world, the economy continues to be difficult for everybody, including our race fans.  Although as you just heard, and I share this, there seems to be a little bit of optimism in the broader economy and we are seeing that with better attendance in some places that we night have expected to do a little worse.  So that's a good thing. 

 

 

And the tracks have responded across the board to try to add value to our fans knowing how difficult it is with all of the things that they are facing, losing their job, or the fear of that, and all of that means, I really want to applaud all of the tracks on the circuit for responding so quickly, not just in ticket prices but across the board in other things.

 

 

I would tell you, though, that if you look at the car counts and all four national divisions, the quality of competition, some of the adjustments we have made and one substantial one being the double-file restarts was a by-product of us studying that.  And frankly it came out of a town hall meeting where we got as much of a consensus as you can with the drivers and the team owners as possible, and that has we think added some excitement to the product on the track which is the most important thing, and we are obviously getting through the issues, we are related to the car manufacturers and their business issues and that has come full circle. 

 

 

We have been waiting and frankly very much as we should being a good partner with them, through their own very, very difficult restructurings and now bankruptcies and all the rest, so that is a painful reminder that no one is immune from difficult times.  We were hoping in that particular case to be one of the last programs they would consider cutting, and we were, but as it turns out they were in a position where they had to make some changes across all of their programs. 

 

 

Now on to the hot topic of the day which is the recent ruling in Federal Court on Wednesday, and more importantly, in my mind, I want to share, clear up a few things regarding NASCAR's substance abuse policy.  No. 1, despite the ruling, and we are disappointed with that ruling, we have said that.  We have also been asked by the judge, both sides, not to talk in excess of the preceding, his particular ruling, and we'll honor that wish, as well. 

 

 

Jeremy obviously was reinstated as a result of that ruling, and that's where we are today.  We are reviewing all of the options, and there are many, obviously including appeals, and then there will be, either way, a pursuit in terms of a trial, apparently, to clear this matter up within the courts.  We were hoping that would not be the case, but it is the case. 

 

 

On the policy, one of the things that I want to remind everybody, I took a lot of questions and went in very much detail back in May when Jeremy tested positive, and I still hear confusion and I hear misnomers about the policy.  The first thing is it's our responsibility to protect the drivers, the fans, other participants within the events.  We have a very unique challenge relative to all sports as you well know, which is the inherent danger of somebody impaired on the racetrack. 

 

 

So our first responsibility, despite the ruling on Wednesday or any ruling, will always be that we are going to make sure every way we can that everyone who is driving these race cars are of clear mind.  And I've heard a lot of things that are not accurate about our policy and remember when we changed the policy in the first place, enhanced it, greatly, it was a result of the drivers wanting to have more testing, continuation of the strong penalties should somebody test positive beyond what we were doing at that point. 

 

 

Contrary to what has been said, we took a long time to review how the best go about that.  We looked at all of the things that you would expect us to look at, the NFL's policy, the USOC and across the board, remembering that we had to have the toughest policy because we have the most to lose if something, if one of our players is on the field or on the track impaired.  And we think, we know we came up with a very good policy and a couple misnomers about it.  People frequently test positive for one thing or another.  It happens very, very frequently.  It's very rare, though, that we do a suspension, because that's a very serious matter. 

 

 

We realize the seriousness and implications that has to an individual, to a race team, to their careers.  We understand that.  It's why the policy has some built-in flexibilities, and some of those are, first of all, if you're taking a prescribed medication or something over-the-counter, the policy says, you're instructed to tell our medical and our laboratories just that.  Because all of our tests are going to flag.  These are very deep and comprehensive tests.  They are going to detect virtually everything. 

 

 

So the drivers, crew members, and when it's detected, and you're on record and we understand it's not a particular medication that's going to impair your driving, then even though you may get a positive test, you may get a phone call to clarify it, the dosages, or whatever the case is.  Happens all the time.  Rarely get, you know, into a situation that we have with Jeremy. 

 

 

And how you get into that situation is you have a very serious violation that is unequivocal, and there are two tests.  You know about the A and B samples, and it is the scientific judgment beyond reproach that a particular banned substance or one that you could be abusing had an effect that we deemed impaired you, put other people at risk.  And as I said in May, once that happens, that's the end of the road in our policy, in terms of you're going to go back into rehabilitation and back into the second phase of the program. 

 

 

And we remain very comfortable and very calm about despite the ruling, that our policy is thorough, it's accurate, and it's fair.  With the drivers we had lots of discussions, and not just the drivers but crew members, our own personnel, anybody that goes over as part of the event is subject to testing and does get tested.  And we have had lots of good discussions to make sure that we all understand where we are going. 

 

 

Now, one other thing that is frequently tossed around, and I think sometimes carelessly, is this idea that we don't have a list of banned substances that somebody can review.  The answer is, we do.  It's very lengthy.  It's very scientific in describing a myriad of literally hundreds of drugs but we also know that abuses that could impair you on the racetrack can also come, but you can abuse prescription medications.  You can abuse a lot of things. 

 

 

And there are also drugs that we are not aware of that hit the street that are created.  So by definition, we are not going to have an absolute list of things that if you just don't test for those, then you'll be deemed, found good to go and that's not impaired.  Unfortunately with the inherent risk element that we have in the sport, our tests have to be deeper, thorough, have a little more flexibility to make sure that we are upholding our responsibility. 

 

 

Now, we are comfortable with that, and it is very consistent because if you look at most parts of it, but not all, because we studied other leagues and federal requirements and so on to come up with the policy that works best for us.  We think it's excellent despite lots of debate and issues that have happened in the courtroom.  We will be defending this policy very vigorously as time goes on in the future, so with that, I'm happy to answer any questions.

 

 

Q.  From being in the courtroom, it was my interpretation that the test result is not so much in question, but it's the fairness of NASCAR's policy.  Do you think that there are considerations NASCAR needs to look at in the policy and that can close any sort of loophole so that you have the right to suspend drivers and they won't then run to court and undermine your decision and a judge can make the decision that your policy is wrong?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Well, I just described our policy, and, you know, we think there is lots of due process and lots of ways that a driver or anyone can work within our system and have no problems at all.  And like I said, our policy requires you to list, if you're taking prescribed medication, or if you're taking something substantial over-the-counter or whatever, and we don't need to get silly about this, this chocolate milk business and NASCAR is going to wake up and chocolate milk is, we are talking about what impairs someone's ability to drive the car. 

 

 

And so we have the right amount of flexibilities when we know we have to suspend a driver.  And as I said earlier, we have tests all the time where we get positive tests, for one substance or if another or prescribed or over-the-counter and how we handle that is, like I said with the policy; it has some flexibility to that.  We don't just go laying the hammer down and ruining someone's career.  That's not what we are talking about when we are talking about Jeremy's situation.  You know what he was tested for.  That's unequivocal.  There's not confusion about that from a science standpoint. 

 

 

And we will stand by our right to protect all of the drivers, all of the fans, from somebody, and just because they said I didn't do it, or something could have gone wrong with the test, people can say that.  But our test is thorough, the process is complete; and if we can improve it, like we have, we inspect the cars differently than we did last year.  We improve all kinds of things from a policy standpoint.  We are open to doing that. 

 

 

But if you are asking me, does the policy fit the intended out comes that we are trying to have, which is to prevent somebody from being on the track impaired, are we doing everything that we can do; that's our responsibility.  And you know, I think we are.  And if we can do more, we will.

 

 

Q.  During the arguments on Wednesday, the judge questioned your attorney about the general rule that NASCAR can spend anyone at its sole discretion.  Do you feel that this decision impacts you in your ability to conduct the sport, even beyond just the subs stance abuse policy?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Well, I don't know.  I think it's restricted to this particular matter, the ruling on Wednesday.  But that's not how it works. 

 

 

I hope I've explained that we just don't walk around spending anybody that we feel like.  We take it very, very seriously.  There is a detailed process from, you know, how people are tested, from the chain of custody, on to one of five world-class accredited laboratories, with some of the best in the world who do this for thousands of times a day for lots of different groups and private groups, public groups, sports leagues, and the like.

 

 

And they are very exact, it's the nature of tests, they should be.  You know now if you have a positive test, we have two samples from an individual that it's the right of the person who tested positive before we'll suspend them to test that second sample to make absolutely sure that the conclusions are accurate, and that was the case with Jeremy.  And we went further than that.  We even went to another laboratory with two more tests, and they both had the same exact conclusions. 

 

 

And so, beyond what more we can do from a fairness in the process, at some point when you have a positive test, it should be the end of the road, at some point, and in our judgment, that some point is when you're b sample comes back unequivocally and conclusively positive under a banned substance that impaired you in the doctors' and medical experts' eyes, that would have impaired you on the racetrack.  That is our basic responsibility.  So I'm a little surprised at all, frankly, of the back and forth that's going on here.  That's as clear as I can make it.

 

 

Q.  My question isn't about the drug policy.

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Thanks.

 

 

Q.  A couple weeks ago at Michigan, you told us that NASCAR is open to welcoming other manufacturers into the sport.  I wondered if since then that's engendered any sort of conversations or dialogue with other manufacturers, whether NASCAR will adhere to the rule that they have to race American-made cars, and whether NASCAR is prepared to assist any other manufacturers coming into the sport that perhaps don't have a small V.A. production engine or something like that?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Our policy and our views haven't really changed.  Some of the opportunities for a new manufacturer to come into NASCAR probably have changed.  Obviously there are teams that were getting direct support or were affiliated with one manufacturer or another that are available now.  So that is a fact. 

 

 

We have been talking and we have routinely, because we are open, as we demonstrated with Toyota, which worked well, under the right approach that's unique to NASCAR, for a manufacturer to come in and compete at one of our national divisions.  That policy remains open.  It is not something that happens easily or overnight.  These decisions by a potential manufacturer take a lot of time and evaluation on their behalf, because to enter into NASCAR has to be, you know, done in a way that is complimentary to what has been established in the past.  And those conversations are ongoing.  I do not anticipate, there's absolutely nothing implemented that we will be announcing or should be will be joining or any of that, that position. 

 

 

But do I see more interests because there's more opportunity?  Sure.  We see that and we're fielding the kinds of questions and evaluation that you would think under the circumstances.

 

 

Q.  You obviously have got some very smart people in your marketing and your TV divisions trying to get your message across, yet your TV ratings are down, attendance is down, you're fighting this public relations battle over the drug policy, your fans are complaining about many different things.  Do you go home at night and kick the cat and say, you know, look, you're trying to get the message across that your sport is strong, but you get punched in the nose?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Well, I don't have a cat and I didn't get punched in the nose recently. 

 

 

I will tell you, look, you've got to keep it in context.  Is every sport feeling the pinch for people buying tickets because they have less money in their pocket or they have lost their job?  Sure.  We are no different.  Every sport has felt it in one form or another.  We obviously have a very big dependency on sponsorship, and our company is going through restructuring and hurting, sure.  Does that have an effect?  Yeah.  All of that has an effect.  But we are still, you know, as we were last weekend, the largest sporting event of the weekend by any metrics, largest in attendance, largest in television viewership, largest in radio viewership, you name the medium, we are either No. 1 or No. 2 every weekend. 

 

 

So I mean, everybody who would like to point to me that the world is crumbling, I'm not telling you it's not difficult; it is.  But we try to keep things in perspective.  Lots of people would like to have our problems, and we also are renewing and the teams in particular, a number of sponsorships on their own right which we are pleased to see.  And companies are still finding enormous value.  Now they are on some different terms and there are lots of things that are going on, but most of the companies, and we have talked to a lot of them, want to stay.  Most of them have a lot of equity built up, been in the sport a long time, like their programs. 

 

 

But they might have some business challenges where they have got to modify their participation for a little while.  Still want to stay.  Interest is high. 

 

 

I think some of the things we have done in particular, some of the things we have done and some of the things we have not done have helped us, and I think the double-file restarts clearly are putting a nice energy around the events.  The drivers have been great in terms of, because there are some consequences for them that they had to buy into, but they did, and the results are good.  We will be looking at more things. 

 

 

And then, you know, the fact that we have let, which was Mike Helton's judgment, that we needed to let the new car settle in without making a bunch of changes just because someone had not figured it out yet; we will look to see if we can make some minor changes to the car. 

 

 

But I think that judgment to let the teams get more comfortable with the car and get up to speed, rather than us changing things around on them, not to mention the costs that would be with the team owners in a very difficult time, was looking back, a good judgment.  We have been under a lot of pressure on that, and it doesn't mean that we won't, if there's something and some things came out of our town hall meeting that were interesting to us that we are looking at. 

 

 

But there weren't be major changes, and I think you're seeing more and more teams every week get more up to speed.  The racing is fantastic, and we have no complaints with our product and we'll stand by that.

 

 

Q.  Ram say said something briefly about this yesterday, but I wonder your thoughts, this whole process that we have been talking about was on Wednesday in which Jeremy and his lawyers claimed that they needed emergency injunctive relief and argued that they needed it to be at this race, and then didn't show, apparently.  I just wondered what you thought of that.

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Well, I'm probably like a lot of people.  When I hear the word "emergency," I think of urgency and really needing to do something. 

 

 

So the fact that they didn't bother to show up, you can make of that what you will.  It is what it is.

 

 

Q.  Following the Mauricia Grant incident last year, does reinstating Brian Barry, is the rumors are true of what he said in the Busch race or following the Busch race, if that's true, does that send the wrong message; that racist remarks will be tolerated in this sport?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  No, because we took it very seriously.  And incidentally, he believes he didn't say what evidently was said, so there was a dispute.  We believed a little bit differently or looked at it a bit differently.  So you have to take that into some consideration. 

 

 

But more importantly is we were very aggressive with him and he went down to our experts for an evaluation, diversity training and Dr. Lapchick in Orlando among other things, to understand NASCAR's very, very much zero tolerance on any racial discrimination, and certainly any harmful words that could be said, and he has served his suspension and he's still serving that suspension.  And we think given all of the things that we've reviewed that the penalty matches the crime.

 

 

Q.  You keep saying unequivocal.  Are your scientists telling you there is no chance that Jeremy could be telling the truth with regard to his explanations?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Tests have to be, either they are certain or they are not.  So, of course, we believe in looking at that particular test, chain of custody, how it was tested, who tested it; and we wouldn't have suspended him if we didn't think it was that way.  These are tough decisions. 

 

 

We know what it means, to anyone, to get such a positive test back.  So, yes, we are very comfortable that that test is accurate and reliable and will hold up, ultimately, when all of the facts are heard, which if you're us, that I mean, everybody can say, you know, they don't believe they did something.  That kind of happens when people do something wrong typically.  They don't like to think they didn't do it. 

 

 

So that's not unnatural to hear that.  But it's clear on our part that that's where we are.

 

 

Q.  In terms of the drug policy, obviously without having to specific quote on Jeremy's case, what outcome would you like to see?  In a perfect world, would you like to see the driver admit and complete a program and stay clean and maybe come back and race?  Is that what you would like to see in a perfect world?  And a follow-up on Lee's question.  Brian Barry served some kind of community service.  What exactly was that?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  I'll take the last question first.  We are working on Brian's community service, what that will be, but it will be meaningful. 

 

 

The perfect outcome for us when someone has a positive test is that they follow the program, and they go for re instatement as part of how the program outlines you to do such.  And that means rehabilitation; that means admission; that means taking the road back that is going to be best from a medical standpoint for an individual; that means getting someone some help, typically, depending on what substance we are talking about; and following the proven path that the positions and the experts in the field have seen that works, because we would like to have someone back.  We would certainly like to give someone, and we will; we will give somebody more than one chance, provided they follow a path that's good for them, and good for, you know, the integrity of our sport in terms of making sure that, you know, no one is impaired. 

 

 

You know, the interesting thing, as you all have documented, we have had more than one driver state that they were out on the racetrack with a recreational drug.  I don't know if that was, we'll never know why somebody would have said that or the accuracy of it, but it was said.  And when you have those kind of statements, and that happened obviously in past years, and then you have our drivers, rightfully so, wanting us to have the toughest policy in sports from both a frequency of test, a course and accuracy of the test, and ultimately the penalty.  Our penalties are very tough.  The road back is more difficult than perhaps other sports leagues, but the inherent dangers are much greater. 

 

 

So we have to do that, and so I've given you a long answer, but we really want to see someone follow the road back, get healthy and come back and race with us.

 

 

Q.  A couple things, for as much as you vigorously defend the policy and everything in light of the injunction the other day, some people might wonder why you haven't filed an immediate appeal, as opposed to looking at your options, and second of all, I know you also talked about the exhaustive list with regards to the banned substances, that type of thing, although there still remains some confusion about that.  Such a list that I'm aware of has not been entered in any kind of court documents.  You have obviously on your side submitted a letter to the teams that listed the outlines for that and there has not been a list per se.

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Let me straighten that out.  That's something that as I said earlier gets talked about a lot. 

 

 

There is a list, and it's not limited.  It's a long list.  It's many, many pages long because there are scientific descriptions of all of these substances, so it's, you know, it's not a pamphlet I would have a in my pocket.  It's a very detailed list.  But as I mentioned, if the idea is to make sure no one is impaired, which may be different in other sports, which are not so much worried about that because they are an individual playing a certain position, maybe they are not going to put anybody in jeopardy.  But obviously in our situation, that's not true, there's much greater danger. 

 

 

So we focus on impairment, and impairment can come from the terrible drugs that you know about that are banned and are illegal in society to a misuse of a prescription that in the judgment of our doctors would have impaired him, abuse of that. 

 

 

And so, not limited to that, does that mean you can make up something along the way?  Of course not.  That's nonsense.  What it means is that there's going to be, given that we are after impairment, we don't know what drug hits the street in one city or country or whatever, that if we had a certain list, and it did fall within the list, the idea is it impaired you under a very, very high bar with medical professionals. 

 

 

As I said, we go through a lot of different check marks before we get to that moment where we say, yeah, the doctors say that particular drug, no question about that, and the levels of that drug.  So it can come in many ways. 

 

 

So just because there's not one list that you can pull out, there can't be one list, by the definition of our program.  And we stand by that, because we think that's the best approach. 

 

 

If we can make that better, if we can clear things up, like I hopefully have done in May or today or our people can do in the future, I think we have most of the drivers comfortable; that drinking chocolate milk, it's not going to get you go all the way down that list, a high bar and a combination; I think that's silly and nonsense, and we all need to move on past that and look at this program for all of the merits that it has.

 

 

Q.  Why haven't you filed the appeal immediately?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  There is more than one way to work the appellate process.  We will be looking at those options and acting as quickly as we can.

 

 

Q.  You've said you've had drivers sign affidavits that they don't want to be on the track with a driver that's impaired.  Do you feel like you have an option not to appeal at this point, and what do you feel like is the future of the Nationwide and Truck Series with sponsorships?

 

 

BRIAN FRANCE:  Well, I would tell you, again, we will figure out the appellate process with this case shortly.  We don't have, we are looking at it as you would expect us to.  It's complicated, but we will, either way, we will be defending the policy.  More importantly, should anyone comeback who has had a positive test, you can be assured that we will be making, you know, certain that our responsibility, that no one is impaired while they are out on the racetrack, we will do whatever it takes to make as certain as we can that that is the reality of that. 

 

 

The other divisions, Nationwide and Truck Series, you know, given the circumstances of the economy, they are relatively healthy.  The Nationwide Series is far and away now the number two series in the country.  There's not even a close competitor to that.  Consistent television numbers with our partner, ESPN, they are very satisfied with it.

 

 

Sponsorship could be better, of course, but is okay.  And the racing is great and the Truck Series has felt more pain, for sure, because they had a big area of support for the manufacturers that was in all of their trucks.  Last year was a pull-back, and we responded, as you know, by trying to have a lot of cost-cutting measures for the teams, and that's been effective.  So we have had full fields of trucks.  A lot of people think that's some of the best racing they see.  We are realized with that.

 

 

And you heard from Roger Edmondson, now that we operate the most successful road racing division in North America and grand America, and we are building that program carefully, steadily, and I think our event tomorrow, that's probably the best road racing now that has been in the last 20 years, when you look at how close that competition is.  So that model, business model and competition model is running well. 

 

 

Look, we are not, we have got four of the top six national divisions in the country.  We have a lot to manage and we have got a lot of great people doing it, and we'll continue to try to elevate all the series. 

 

 

Thank you. 

 

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Hall of Fame list leaves out one important name

NASCAR announced Thursday night the 25 nominees to be considered for the inaugural Hall of Fame Class. From that list, 50 voters -- I am a voter -- will determine in October which five will be a part of that first class.

 

Give credit to the nominating committee because it's not easy to take all the key figures in the sport's history and whittle it to 25 names. I'm thankful I wasn't a part of that.

 

For all the committee did right, there was one omission that stands out to me -- Dale Inman.

 

The crew chief won 193 races and eight championships. Most of those wins and 7 of those titles came with Richard Petty. HIs other title came with Terry Labonte.

 

While numbers don't tell the whole story for some of the nominees, they certainly paint a picture of the sport's most successful crew chief. It was interesting, though, that of the 25 selected, 17 were drivers, six were car owners, two were officials and none were crew chiefs. Such an omission would be the one complaint to make about who was selected.

 

Otherwise, it's hard to fault the committee. In a couple of cases, the committee got it right in nominating Roanoke's Curtis Turner and modified driver Richie Evans.

 

Before the list came out, I picked my own list and had Turner on it, but I wondered if he would truly make the list. Bill France Sr. suspended Turner from 1960 until late in the 1965 season for attempting to unionize the drivers. That hurt Turner's numbers. His 17 wins are less than most of the driver nominees.  He will be a challenge for myself and the other voters to decide where he fits in with NASCAR's greats beacuse of his interrupted career. Still, even with the past issues, it was good to see him at least nominated.

 

Just as it was good to see Evans nominated. Remember this isn't the Sprint Cup Hall of Fame but the NASCAR Hall of Fame and should include those from all the umbrella series. Evans won nine modified championships before his death in a crash during practice at Martinsville. He's deserving to be on the list and it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the Hall within five years.

 

Here's a look at the 25 nominees and a brief comment:

 

Bobby Allison -- Could be inducted in Year 2 or 3 at the latest

Buck Baker -- Buddy's father who might get lost in the shuffle in the next few years.

Dale Earnhardt -- He likely will be an unanimous selection.

Tim Flock -- Induction likely 3 or more years away.

Ned Jarrett -- Two-time champ probably 3-4 years away from induction.

David Pearson -- Expect to see in the first class.

Lee Petty -- Likely Year 2 inductee

Richard Petty -- Automatic pick this year

Richard Childress -- Great record but probably a few years away.

Herb Thomas -- Great winning percentage could get him in in about 3 or so years.

Darrell Waltrip -- Should be in by Year 2 at the latest

Joe Weatherly -- Probably four or so years away

Glen Wood -- Good to see Wood Brothers member nominated but may not join Hall for five years

Cale Yarborough -- Argument could be made to be inducted this year.

Junior Johnson -- Strong candidate to be inducted this year.

Fireball Roberts -- Likely in the same boat as Weatherly

Bill France Sr. -- Expect him to be honored in first class

Bill France Jr. -- Question of if he'll join his father. Might be inducted in Year 2.

Bud Moore -- Is Hall worthy but might have to wait four or more years.

Curtis Turner -- Could get inducted in Year 3 but probably not earlier than that.

Benny Parsons -- People's champ might be four or more years away

Rick Hendrick -- Induction likely delayed a few years as committee works to get veterans in ahead of him.

Richie Evans -- Would be nice to see him inducted within four years.

Red Byron -- First champion but numbers not strong. Likely will need more than five years.

Raymond Parks -- First champion car owner but likely will need more than five years to get in.

 

There's my thoughts. Who did you think got left out of the top 25 that shoudln't have? Who would you vote for your five to be inducted next May at the Hall of Fame in Charlotte?

 

 

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Scenes from court as Mayfield wins injunction

It's been a crazy day off the track for NASCAR with a federal judge ruling to grant Jeremy Mayfield's request for an injunction to allow him to compete again for the first time in Cup since series officials indefinitely suspended him May 9 for a failed drug test.

 

I was at court for most of it today (full disclosure -- I had to leave before the judge's verdict to catch a plane to get to Daytona but was there for the arguments for both sides)

 

It didn't surprise me when I found out the judge granted Mayfield's injunction. I kind of got that sense that the judge was searching for a way to grant it based on the questions he asked lawyers for both sides.

 

He asked very few questions of Mayfield's lawyer, Bill Diehl. if  you've never seen this guy, he's in his 50s rotund and his this shock of long yellow hair. He has a flair for the dramatics in court and even had some in attendance laughing or snickering at some of his comments during  his 45-minute presentation. i'll get to a few things in a bit.

 

Back to the judge. When it was the turn of NASCAR's attorneys to talk, the judge pressed them hard on questions.

 

At one point, Helen Maher was addressing the court for NASCAR when judge Graham Mullen asked her about the limitation on the discretion NASCAR had in determing what violates its Substance Abuse Policy. Maher's response wandered a bit and Mullen stopped her and said: "That's not a response. If you're answer is none, step up and own it.''

 

Ouch.

 

Later, the judge questioned another NASCAR attorney to ask what someone could do in regard to a false positive test. And when Mayfield's lawyer, Diehl, had a chance for rebuttal, the judge asked Diehl what the North Carolina statue said about such a circumstance and Diehl read a portion that he said addressed the matter and stated that showed Mayfield should be allowed to compete again.

 

At issue, in a way, was NASCAR's power. The Substance Abuse Policy, some would suggest, is over the top, in not having a list of banned substances and that makes it too open-ended. Diehl argued that in theory NASCAR could stated that drinking too much Coca-Cola or coffee or orange juice could violate the policy.

 

After my plane landed in Florida, I called Charles Yesalis, an authority on performance-enhancing drugs. I talked to him last fall when NASCAR announced its revised policy calling for random drug testing, but the big issue that day in September in Dover was that there was no list of banned substances. Yesalis told me that day: "This is really bad. If I were a driver and got caught, I'd hire me a real big-time lawyer  and say, "Make mince-meat of it.''

 

So when I talked to Yesalis today he remained adament that NASCAR have a list of banned substances -- Yesalis admits he's not aware of any pro league without such a list other than NASCAR. Yesalis said the sport could put together a list of banned substances and do what many other leagues and add a clause that says "and related substances.''

 

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the Substance Abuse Policy, if anything, after this. Remember, this is just an injunction, there's still a whole court case to settle so this isn't over.

 

As for Diehl, at one point he addressed the judge and said: "It's July 4th weekend. Somehow that rings true as I talk to you and ask you to correct a wrong. Independence Day for Jeremy ought to be today.''

 

Another time, Diehl said that according to the drug test that Mayfield had enough meth in him at the time of the test that Mayfield would have been "either a walking zombie or he's dead.''

 

About NASCAR and its actions, Diehl said: "(Mayfield) has been arrested, if you will. He has been tried ... and he has been convicted.''

 

As for NASCAR lawyers, here's some of what they said:

 

Helen Maher: "If Mr. Mayfield is allowed to race after testing positive for meth, who will protect the public, who will protect the drivers? He tested positive for an illegal drug and endangered the lives of all around him. (at this point, mayfield's wife, sitting in the gallery, shakes her head -- which she did often as Maher talked).

 

Later, Maher said: "Mr. Diehl told an interesting story. I was entertained by it, but you come into federal court you need facts ... and he has none.''

 

And she said: "NASCAR has a duty ot prevent (Mayfield) from injuring anyone at a NASCAR event.''

 

Bill Diehl said on Sirius Speedway -- Dave Moody's show on Sirius Satellite Radio -- that he wasn't sure if Mayfield could be ready to compete at Daytona now that he's eligible. Diehl suggested it might take until next week at Chicagoland Speedway before Mayfield returned. We'll see.

 

 

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Weber out at TNT; Mayfield case ongoing

 

TNT announced today that Bill Weber is out as lead announcer. TNT issued a statement about Weber's status:

 

"Bill Webrer will not be part of TNT's NASCAR coverage of the Cup Series for the network's last two races,'' the statement read. "Ralph Sheheen  will handle play-by-play duties for The Coke Zero 400 in Daytona and the Lifelock.com 400 from Chicagoland. Sheheen will be calling the races alongside analysts Kyle Petty Petty and Wally Dallenbach in the booth.''

 

As for the Mayfield case. It's going on today in a federal courthouse in Charlotte. Mayfield's attorney, Bill Diehl, argued for Mayfield today. Diehl spoke for about 45 minutes. He attacked NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy and how it doesn't specifically list banned substances and he challenged the drug testing procedures,claiming that there were certain federal procedures the NASCAR-contracted lab had to follow that it didn't. (NASCAR has argued in court documents tha the lab doesn't have to do so because NASCAR is not a federally funded program).

 

The headline so far is that NASCAR admits Mayfield tested positive for meth, although it's not really huge news. The part about meth has always been blacked out in court documents but Mayfield and his attorney have claimed he's never taken meth. Mayfield's attorney openly said meth several times noting how it's been reported in the media for weeks.

 

Aftereward, Diehl spoke to reporters for a few moments before he, Mayfield and others left the courthouse. I asked him if this has been an easy case or a tough case for him. .

 

"The case is a big complicated case that's going to take probably awhile,'' he said. "Today is an effort to get an injunction. The judge can grant it or he can deny it. That doesn't the end case. It's a process. I wish it could be be over quickly but lawsuits don't tend to get over that quickly.''

 

Also, on another topic NASCAR announced two more candidates for the inaugural Hall of Fame Class. Yesterday it was Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip. Today, NASCAR announced Glen Wood and Richard Childress as candidates. The entire 25-person nomination group will be announced on Speed Channel Thursday night. So, that's four down and 21 names to guess, although I'm sure many of you could name several viable candidates.

 

For more on the Mayfield trial and other things, check me out on Twitter @dustinlong. I'll try to update more today as I head off to the airport to fly to Florida. It might be a close call for me. I'll do what I can.

 

Also, you'll be able to hear me on Sirius Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 128 from 8-10 p.m. Thursday with Claire B. Lang as we break down the 25-person nomination group. Only five will be chosen for the inaugural Hall of Fame Class. I'm one of the people who will vote on who will make that first class. Voting will take place in October.

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A shocking day in New Hampshire

The day started with news that Bill Weber wouldn't be on TNT's broadcast Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, featured a Kyle Busch apology and ended with rookie Joey Logano winning a rain-shortened race and becoming the youngest driver in series history to win a Cup race.

 

On to the day:

 

# Who would have ever thought Logano would win the race? And that was before he fell a lap down two different times, spun and then nearly ran out of fuel. While everyone will call it a fluke _ and while he did what he had to at the end, this is still flukish _ David Reutimann, who won a rain-shortened 600, said that Logano shouldn't let what others say make this win any less memorable.

 

"Now ... you have to listen to people say how you lucked into the whole deal,'' Reutimann said after finishing fourth. "In the end, I hope he enjoys it because a win is a win and I don't think any less of mine because it's a rain-shortened race, so he shouldn't (either).''

 

There was a lot Logano had to overcome after the spin, which brought out the caution on lap 184 of what turned out to be a 273-lap race. Both left-side tires shredded and he drove back to the pits on the rims. Once there, what was left of the left rear was wrapped around the axle and the team lost a lap cutting it away. Then, a few laps later, Scott Speed wrecked. Logano was the only driver a lap down and got the Lucky Dog, getting his lap back. They pitted and had more fuel then anyone else. So, when everyone eventually pitted, Logano was in the lead and then the rain came out. Had it not stopped the race sooner, Logano would have had only a few more laps before he ran out of fuel.

 

He didn't and he's a Cup winner at age 19. Just think about what you were doing at 19 and then think about Logano winning a Cup race. Logano won't have much time to enjoy it. The series heads back to Daytona. Remember in February with his limited experience in a Cup car with a restrictor plate how lost he was then? It shouldn't be as difficult this time but it still won't be easy for him, so he should enjoy this and remember it on those bad days.

 

# A few drivers were upset with Kyle Busch after he tagged Martin Truex Jr. on a restart and 8 cars were collected. It started when Dale Earnhardt Jr. got a bad restart and bunched the field behind him. Guys had to check up on the gas but even as that happened, Busch hit Truex.

 

Said Truex: "I guess Kyle just decided he didn't want to lift, so I was just an innocent victim. Kyle just lost his head like he usually does when something bad happens.

 

Said Brian Vickers, who was collected in the crash: "I guess everybody just learns to expect Kyle doing something stupid. Stupid is forever.''

 

Said Kyle after finishing seventh: "I got into Martin and I hate it for him and Jeff Burton and those guys,’’ Busch said. “It’s just hard racing on a restart. I just got into (Truex) and got him sideways. Unfortunately for those guys, tore up some good race cars.’’

 

# Scott Speed's battle with teammate Brian Vickers seems to be continuing. They both banged into each other on the last lap of Saturday's Nationwide race as they battled for fifth and then hit each other on the cool-down lap. Askead about his incident Sunday, Spee said: "I think the car behind us got into us a little bit, obviously, and spun us out. Maybe Brian paid someone off for yesterday, I don't know.''

 

# TNT announced before the race that Bill Weber would not be a part of Sunday's broadcast. The network said it was a personal matter and wouldn't reveal why Weber was not announcing the race when he had been in town earlier this weekend. The Charlotte Observer, citing unnamed witness, reported that Weber had a loud, public confrontation at his N.H. hotel over the weekend.

 

# Did you see who was in the top 10?

 

David Reutimann pulled out a fourth. Brad Keselowski placed sixth and Sam Hornish Jr finished eight. All strong finishes for those guys.

 

# The battle for the final transfer spot for the Chase is getting tighter. Juan Pablo Montoya is in 12th. He leads Kasey Kahne by one point and Reutimann by 12 points with nine races to go before the field is set.

 

# Joey Logano is the first rookie driver to win since Montoya won at Sonoma two years ago. ... Logano's win keeps the No. 20 team's streak alive. That team, which had Tony Stewart as its driver every year until this season, has won at least one race a year every season.

 

# Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 13th. Not great but not bad for that team. Small steps. That's what it is going to take for this team to get stronger.

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Weber replaced for today's NASCAR race

TNT announced this morning that Ralph Sheheen will replace Bill Weber as lead announcer for today's broadcast of the New Hampshire Cup race.

 

Here's TNT's statement:

 

 

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Notes and quotes from New Hampshire

Rain canceled qualifying Friday at New Hampshire. Biggest news on the track is that points leader Tony Stewart crashed in practice and will go to his backup car but he won't start at the rear of the field.

 

Stewart crashed in practice before qualifying and retains his starting spot (the pole as the points leader) with putting the primary engine in his backup car. Kurt Busch was the fastest in practice at 130.667 mph. He was followed by David Reutimann (130.011 mph), Juan Pablo Montoya (129.967), Jimmie Johnson (129.927) and Reed Sorenson (129.900).

 

Other notes from the day:

 

# The Nationwide series will begin the double-file restarts like Cup starting next weekend at Daytona.

 

# No rule changes for Daytona as the Cup series makes its first apperance at a restrictor-plate track next week since the Carl Edwards incident at Talladega. However, don't be surprised if NASCAR makes a change or two before the series returns to Dega in the fall. Most likely change would be to the restrictor plate and making the hole smaller to cut a litlte horsepower. Nothing definite on that, though.

 

# Kyle Busch on his recent woes (2 top-10s in the last 11 races): "We just need to get our cars better. We need to get them where I feel like (Tony Stewart) and (Jimmie Johnson) is _ they can pass cars. Anytime that I ever need to go somewhere and go forward, I can't go forward, I'm always stuck where I am.''

 

# Jeff Gordon on his back: "The thing with my back is it's almost a blessing in disguise because I've always been fairly fit without having to do much, And I think that because of that, my core had gotten a little bit weak and I think over the last few years, especially with some wrecks, it's contributed to my back problems. And now, I'm getting stronger, so I'm actually in better shape than I've been in long time and still have a ways to go. But I think it's actually going to help me be more prepared for the end of the year and the Chase than anything else. So far, I think Bristol, maybe Richmond, those tracks have been the toughest on me. And they're not in the Chase, so we'll be in good shape.''

 

# Juan Pablo Montoya on his advice to Danica Patrick about a possible move to NASCAR: "Danica, I think she's got the talent and everything, but I don't think she knows what she's getting into. They're so different to drive. It's not the same feeling. When you drive an open-wheel car on an oval, you have the grip, you turn the wheel and it turns. You get on it and it goes and you get on the brakes and it stops. This, it goes more with the momentum.You've got to give time to the car andou've got to get used to the feeling that you've got to go fast when the car doesn't feel right. With time actually, it becomes kind of normal. Like for me driving the Cup car now it's normal.''

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