Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!!

Bye bye, Hick! Don't let the door hit your a** on the way out.

 

Cup Series

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'Smoke' wins at Pocono!!

 

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Sources: Meth triggered positive test.

(Video and Text at the above link).

- Spydertrader

 

Even though the 24 bunch done blow'd up, I still plan to sit trackside at Michigan this weekend - turn four at the Pit Road Entrance. If anyone else plans to attend, give me a shout.

Let's see if Gordo can charge from the rear of the field in Smoke Style this week.

- Spydertrader

 

Carlos Pardo Crash Video

Carlos Pardo, Nascar Mexico Series driver, was killed when his car was involved in a brutal accident, Sunday, June 14, 2009. In the video you can see Pardo's car as it spins out of control, he is airlifted to a nearby hospital. Carlos Pardo was pronounced dead 45 minutes after arrival, he was declared the winner posthumously.

"Carlos Pardo was a tremendous competitor and person," said Chad Little, Director of Racing Development, NASCAR Mexico. "On behalf of everybody in the NASCAR family, our thoughts and prayers go out to Carlos' family and friends."


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Cup Series

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Jeremy Mayfield wins injunction, may race at Daytona

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[size=-3]Jeremy Mayfield heads for his hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte. [/size]


CHARLOTTE – Jeremy Mayfield is a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and owner again after U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen granted Mayfield’s motion Wednesday for a preliminary injunction to force the sanctioning body to lift his indefinite suspension for a test that NASCAR says was positive for methamphetamines.

After nearly two hours of testimony by NASCAR and Mayfield attorneys, Mullen found that the financial harm Mayfield is suffering by not driving is more than the potential harm to NASCAR and that Mayfield has a likelihood of success on the merits of his case.

“This is huge for us,” Mayfield said outside the courthouse. “This means more to me than any race I’ve won or anything. Thanks to all the attorneys, who worked tirelessly and endlessly.”

Mayfield, who must comply with any requests from NASCAR to drug-test him, said that he hopes to race either his own Mayfield Motorsports Inc. car or a car for another team this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Practice for the Coke Zero 400 starts Thursday.

Since the May 9 suspension, Mayfield has said in court filings he had to lay off 10 Mayfield Motorsports employees and a sponsor has backed out of its commitments – a commitment Mayfield now hopes to get back.

“I’m happy I can go back racing and just glad the justice system works like it does and just thank God,” Mayfield said. “It might be a little late for this weekend, but we’ll see what happens. I’m able to race, that’s the main thing. … I think so now [I have a sponsor]. I have to go back and see where we stand on that and where they are.

“The main thing is to be able to go back and be able to do that. The truth came out, and now I can go back and say we’re clear of all this. I cleared my name, and now we can go racing again. That means more to me than anything.”

NASCAR can appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., and it can ask for Mullen’s ruling to be suspended until a hearing before the appeals court. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said that the sanctioning body would consider all options.

“We are disappointed, but we respect the judge’s ruling,” Poston said. “This is only a temporary injunction. The legal case continues beyond this point, and we will continue to make our case.”

The judge said NASCAR can test Mayfield again to see if he is a danger and noted that Mayfield is harmed by not being able to compete and earn race winnings.

“The harm to Mayfield substantially outweighs harm to NASCAR. ... Mr. Mayfield can cough up a hair sample, and we can find out from a hair sample if he is a meth head [now],” Mullen said.

Mayfield is the first driver suspended under NASCAR’s new random drug-testing policy implemented this season. He had missed the last six Sprint Cup points events.

“Independence Day for Jeremy ought to be today,” Mayfield attorney Bill Diehl said during his court presentation. “It is a case involving fairness.”

Diehl argued that NASCAR’s drug-testing procedure was unfair and that the amount of methamphetamine that NASCAR says Mayfield had in his body would have resulted in people noticing a change in Mayfield.

“The suspension … is directly caused by a drug-test result that’s done patently unfairly and eliminates [Mayfield’s ability] to show anybody that he is not a recreational drug user,” Diehl said. Later he added, “He’s either a walking zombie or he’s dead if he has that much methamphetamine in his body.”

In talking about NASCAR’s stance that it does not have to adhere to guidelines of federal agencies and that it can suspend anyone at any time in the best interest of the sport, Diehl said that NASCAR could do a “taste test” and decide if a driver has failed and that Aegis Laboratories President David Black, whose lab conducts NASCAR’s drug tests, could “take a hit” of the urine sample and decide to suspend a driver. He said NASCAR could do a litmus test and say if it comes up that it’s coffee, that NASCAR can then decide to ban coffee or chocolate milk since there is no definitive list.

“This case is not about chocolate milk or orange juice,” NASCAR attorney Helen Maher said in court. “This is about public safety. … If Mr. Mayfield is allowed to race after testing positive for methampetamines, who will protect the public? Who will protect the drivers? Who will protect the fans?”

Mayfield contends the findings resulted from a combination of prescription drug Adderall, which is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and over-the-counter Claritin-D allergy medicine. NASCAR Chairman Brian France and Black have asserted that could not be the case.

Judge Mullen said there was credence to Mayfield’s claim that if he were under the influence of methamphetamines, his crew members and others would have noticed. Mayfield had his crew members sign affidavits saying they did not see any evidence that Mayfield had used drugs.

Diehl reiterated Mayfield’s position that NASCAR, because its drug policy states that tests will be done at laboratories certified by the U.S. Health Department’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, must follow the drug-testing guidelines required by federal agencies. Diehl said in court that NASCAR did not follow proper procedures and had no authorization to test Mayfield’s B sample and contended it should have been tested in a laboratory independent of the testing of the A sample. Mayfield has experts who have testified that the interpretation of the test results of the first test are inconclusive, and that, combined with what they said was an improper procedure with the B sample, should invalidate the entire test results.

NASCAR attorneys argued that it does not have to follow the federal workplace guidelines. NASCAR also sent the untested portion of the A and B samples to Medtox Laboratories in St. Paul, Minn., and Medtox confirmed the results of the Aegis lab.

Diehl, however, said that because seals were broken on the A and B samples for the original tests done by Aegis, that any tests beyond the original two are invalid.

“We need some kind of way to keep it fair for everybody, and I think that’s what happened here,” Mayfield said.

Mayfield also addressed the situation around his Adderall prescription, which came from the Vitality Anti-Aging Center & Medical Spa.

“It came from my doctor, who happens to own Vitality Med Spa,” Mayfield said. “I’ve got all the reports and all the papers and have done all the tests. I’ve gone every 30 days to get checked out.”

NASCAR has countersued Mayfield for allegedly breaching his agreements with the sanctioning body, which, NASCAR says, require him to inform officials about any changes in his health (Mayfield began taking the Adderall in March) and for allegedly violating the substance-abuse policy.

NASCAR President Mike Helton and France attended the hearing Wednesday and heard the judge and Mayfield’s attorney question NASCAR’s stance that it can suspend anyone at any time at its sole discretion.

At one point, Diehl said that NASCAR’s stance that “we say it’s so and therefore it’s so” cannot be considered law.

Mayfield was the one who left feeling vindicated.

“The main thing is we can go back racing again at a NASCAR track,” Mayfield said. “We’ll see what happens.”

 

Cup Series

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Green Flag about to drop at The Brickyard .....

- Spydertrader

 

Cup Series

Pocono II (Pennsylvania 500) moved to Monday (noon eastern) due to weather.

- Spydertrader

 

Cup Series

Race: Sunday, August 9, 2009 in Watkins Glen, NY


Title Sponsor: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips


Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 2:18pm Eastern Time

- Spydertrader