Latest on Mayfield, 2nd test by independent lab: Testing performed by an independent laboratory supported the results that left Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield indefinitely suspended for failing NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, court documents said. Results of the test and the name of the individual tested were blacked out, but a NASCAR spokesman confirmed they were identical. The documents, part of NASCAR’s response to Mayfield’s lawsuit to have his indefinite suspension lifted, show that Medtox Laboratories in Minnesota tested both his “A” and backup “B” samples last week and “confirmed the presence” of a substance that is blacked out in the filing. NASCAR claims Mayfield tested positive for a “dangerous, illegal, banned substance” and should not be allowed back on the track. It was revealed in open court two weeks ago that the drug was amphetamines. ESPN the Magazine’s Ryan McGee, citing multiple sources, said it was methamphetamines. Mayfield’s attorneys claim that NASCAR’s drug testing program does not meet federal workplace guidelines. They argue that Mayfield did not give permission for the “B” sample to be tested after the “A” sample came back positive and that the “B” sample should have been tested at an independent laboratory. They said since proper procedure was not used and because the “B” sample was compromised when opened, thus not giving Mayfield the opportunity to send it to a second lab, that the entire test should be invalid. Both samples originally were tested by Aegis Laboratory, the Nashville Tenn.-based facility NASCAR employs to run its testing program. The most recent test was conducted at MedTox Laboratories in St. Paul, Minn. All the evidence will be dealt with at a Wednesday [July 1st] hearing in U.S. District Court, where Mayfield is seeking a temporary restraining order that would allow him back in the car, possibly as early as Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway.
Archive for June, 2009
ruex to MWR as of Chicago? looks doubtful: Could Martin Truex Jr. be headed to Waltrip’s outfit a little sooner than next season? It seems like a pretty good possibility. One garage source said it’s a likely possibility that Truex will be behind the wheel of Waltrip’s #55 NAPA Toyota Camry for the Lifelock.com 400 on July 11 at Chicagoland Speedway, with Aric Almirola taking over his current seat in the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing #1 Bass Pro Chevy. And while the Truex to MWR rumor has been floating in the pond for some time, another name was tossed into the rumor mill concerning the big Waltrip announcement [July 7th at 12:30pm/et]. Could Richard Petty Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne be heading to a new third Toyota team with MWR? Sounds odd, but its being whispered.[Jayski Note: Kahne is signed with RPM thru 2010](Hartford Courant)
AND The company line at Michael Waltrip Racing is that despite the expected announcement on July 7 [at 12:30pm/et] that Martin Truex Jr. will join the fold (hearing in the #56 Toyota), he will not drive the car until next season. And Waltrip will likely continue to run a limited 10 to 12 race schedule in the #55 car in 2010. But the consensus in the garage is that Truex could be in a MWR car as early as the Chicagoland Cup race in two weeks. A press release from NAPA announcing Waltrip’s brother Darrell (also a NASCAR on FOX analyst) as an honorary pit crew member for this weekend Coke Zero 400 has only fueled the speculation that it will be Michael’s last race. For now, MWR Vice President and GM Ty Norris and COO Cal Wells’ say that the teams will remain status quo for 2009. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing president Steve Lauletta says he expects to have Aric Almirola back in the #8 Chevy by mid-August if sponsorship can be secured. Lauletta echoed MWR’s sentiments that Truex will not be departing from the #1 Chevy before season’s end.
Danica Patrick to Hendrick?
Jun 28
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# Danica Patrick to Hendrick? Dale Jr. to…..UPDATE denied: If Danica Patrick does jump from the Indy Racing League to NASCAR, as increasingly appears likely, the battle for her, according to sources close to the negotiations, is down to car owners Rick Hendrick, of Chevrolet, and Jack Roush, of Ford. According to these sources, Hendrick and General Motors’ Chevrolet division are now suddenly the heavy favorites to sign Patrick. And the key would apparently be Hendrick’s willingness to put her in a Sprint Cup ride for the full 2010 season. Roush has said he would like to see her run some NASCAR Nationwide and/or Truck events, along with six or seven Cup events, to get her accustomed to stock car racing. Hendrick reportedly is willing to go further. Patrick might take Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spot on Hendrick’s official four-team Cup roster, with Earnhardt moving to an expanded JR Motorsports operation. JR Motorsports, Earnhardt’s own operation, run in partnership with Hendrick, would thus be stepping up to a full Cup program; Hendrick has already been talking with Talladega winner Brad Keselowski about Keselowski’s future in NASCAR, with indications he could get a Cup ride with an expanded JR Motorsports venture, with Hendrick engines and Hendrick engineering. It is not clear how far along any Patrick-IMG-Hendrick negotiations have gone, but sources tell mikemulhern.net that the Patrick-Hendrick deal is very close to being a ‘done deal.’(Mikemulhern.net)(6-28-2009)
UPDATE – denied:been told by Hendrick Motorsports reps that there is absolutely no truth to this
Ryan Truex is on pole
Jun 25
For the camping world series driving the napa toyota!!! way to go to mwr.
NEWS UPDATE
Jun 22
Kahne to Toyota? by Chicago? UPDATE 2: Speculation is increasing that Dodge driver #9-Kasey Kahne, who runs for Richard Petty, could switch to a Toyota by the July 11th Sprint Cup race at Chicago. Petty has said that Chrysler has cut its payments to his four-car operation, and apparently Petty has only enough engine parts for one of the new Dodge NASCAR engines. Petty’s business partner, George Gillett, tried last season to make a deal with Toyota. There is no immediate comment from Toyota officials.(mikemulhern.net)(6-22-2009)
UPDATE: And speculation that Richard Petty and Kasey Kahne could switch to Toyotas as soon as July? Lee White, head of Toyota’ racing development operations, says “I’ve never talked to the King or his driver. I’m pretty sure that no one at Toyota/TRD has talked to either of them.”(mikemulhern.net)(6-22-2009)
UPDATE 2: Sirius Speedway has learned that Richard Petty Motorsports will begin fielding Toyotas for driver #9-Kasey Kahne in mid-August, with at least part of the team remaining in Dodge livery for the time being. Published reports this week claimed the team will begin fielding Toyotas for Kahne at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, but an RPM source speaking on the condition of anonymity tells Sirius Speedway that the change will not happen until team officials are able to hammer out a financial settlement with their current manufacturer. “Dodge owes the team a ton of money, and they’re trying to negotiate some kind of settlement right now,” said one source. “Until that’s done, the team cannot make a move. Once the settlement is signed, you’ll see Kasey Kahne in a Toyota.” RPM’s familiar #43 – driven by Reed Sorenson – will remain in Dodge livery for the foreseeable future. A decision on future manufacturer affiliations for the #19 and #44 cars — driven by Elliott Sadler and AJ Allmendinger – is pending
What’s up with Roush’s five teams? Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith on the team cutting from five teams to four after this season (as mandated by NASCAR to meet its four-car limit): “We’re still messing with the sponsorship pieces,’’ Smith said. “We’re still not sure how it’s going to lay out. We thought we’d be done by now but we’re not.’’ One of the teams will move to Yates next year, Smith said. Smith also was asked about the status of signing Jamie McMurray to a contract extension: “Jamie wants to stay. We’d like him to stay. We’re hoping we can have sponsorship around Jamie before he has to decide how much longer he can wait. We’ve been working together. Hopefully we’ll have that worked out pretty quickly before he has to turn his attention to the marketplace.
RCR to scale back to two teams? There is speculation that Chevy team owner Richard Childress may have to cut back to a two-car operation next season, if the Shell [#29-Harvick]and Jack Daniels [#07-Casey Mears] sponsorships are not renewed. Childress says he intends to have four Cup teams again next year, but conceded sponsorship issues remain to be resolved. Childress, through the Winston-Salem law firm Womble, Carlyle, has filed legal papers over what he says is GM’s non-payment of a bill of $2,538,750. Childress insists he’s not suing GM over its failure to make that payment due June 15th. That bill would apparently be a scheduled quarterly payment, part of a $10 million a year Chevrolet sponsorship for Childress’ four-team operation.
Keselowski to talk to Hendrick about Cup move: Rick Hendrick said he plans to meet with Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski this week to discuss his plans for moving up to Sprint Cup in 2010. Hendrick mentioned two possible options for Keselowski — a third car at Stewart-Haas Racing, which is affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports, or a chance to stay at JR Motorsports if Dale Earnhardt Jr. decides to move his Nationwide team to Cup next year. “We’re looking at different options with some of our external situations with other teams,” Hendrick said Sunday at Infineon Raceway. “I told Brad that I want him to have the best opportunity. If we can’t give it to him, then I want him to have the best.” Keselowski told reporters at that event that he would love to drive a third Stewart-Haas car next year. Tony Stewart said Friday a third car for his team is a possibility for 2010. Stewart’s team is a satellite operation with Hendrick Motorsports, leasing engines from Hendrick. Hendrick also said Earnhardt Jr. is considering moving his Nationwide operation to Cup in 2010. Either way, Keselowski would stay in the Hendrick family, so to speak, if he signed with Stewart-Haas Racing or stayed at JR Motorsports. “Brad wants to do something that is somehow associated with our company,” Hendrick said. “We’re working on it and hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll have something sorted out. He’ll be running Cup [in 2010]. Whether he’ll be running them all or whether he’ll be running 75% of them or what, I don’t know.
Danica to Roush?
Jun 20
Danica to Roush? Danica Patrick will be in a Jack Roush NASCAR Ford next season, bank on it. Well, don’t bet the ranch, but there is a growing sense that that is the momentum on the issue, if the sexy Indy-car star does make the leap into stock car racing, as she has hinted. And in the NASCAR garage here at Infineon Raceway Roush himself pondered the Danica option Friday. Patrick herself has been talking around the NASCAR possibility for several weeks now but insists she won’t be making any announcement of where she’ll be racing next season until this fall [after the IRL's finale in Oct]. Last weekend Geoff Smith, head of Roush Fenway Racing, talked about the Danica Patrick option. What does Roush himself think about her as NASCAR stocker? “I don’t know enough about her to know how much time she’d have to spend in the Nationwide series or Truck series,” Roush said. “I’d say, as a minimum, two years in the Nationwide series would be required…and at the same time she could run six or seven Cup races, to maintain her rookie status. It just depends on how badly she wants it,” Roush says of any Patrick move into NASCAR. Patrick has some big advantages, Roush points out: “I don’t know of any problems with Danica Patrick. If a female is going to make it in NASCAR in the foreseeable future, it will be Danica Patrick
GM to cut back on Sprint Cup
Jun 18
GM to cut back on Sprint Cup
: General Motors will reduce its financial support in the Sprint Cup series, officials from several Chevrolet teams confirmed on Wednesday. Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart Haas Racing, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Richard Childress Racing officials said they have been asked to participate in cutbacks by the U.S. auto manufacturer that recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Officials did not say how large the cuts would be. “We had very productive conversations this week with the folks at General Motors, and it’s clear they are committed to racing and committed to our organization,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports in a statement. “They’ve asked us for some help, and we’re going to give it to them. We’re proud to be a Chevy team, and we will do our part to support the new GM both on and off the racetrack.”
Tony Stewart, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing and Sprint Cup point leader, echoed Hendrick’s sentiments. “We have been, and will continue to be, strong supporters of GM and its Chevrolet brand,” he said. “These are tough times for our auto industry, and in light of what’s happening to them and how it affects all the people who make a living building and selling cars and trucks, the sacrifices we’ll have to make as a race team are pretty weak in comparison. We believe in the products GM has now and in the products they’re building for the future. We’re proud to carry the Chevy bowtie on the hoods of our racecars, and we support GM in this time of uncertainty because we know they’ll be an even stronger company in the years to come.” Stewart said the cutbacks will force teams to review their budgets, but “it will not impact our preparation for the track or the return on investment we provide for our partners.” The cutbacks come a week after GM cut all support from its Nationwide Series and Truck Series teams (espn)
Sportier” COT on the way
Jun 17
“Sportier” COT on the way? Manufacturers reportedly poured more than a half-billion dollars into the sport last year through factory and technical support to the teams, track support, vehicle programs and advertising. Yet NASCAR turned its back on Detroit with each generation of its race car as it morphed further away from what was on the showroom floor. Yes, the new Sprint Cup car has proved to be safer. After the initial blow of scrapping entire fleets of the old car, the new model will be more cost efficient. The level of competition with the new car — at tracks other than intermediate and two-mile venues — has picked up considerably. But the majority of core NASCAR fans have never embraced this car. The evidence of their displeasure can be measured in the dramatic drop in attendance, souvenir sales and television ratings, all of which started long before the economy tanked. Now NASCAR is feeling a similar pain in its pocketbook. And the sanctioning body is responding by offering an olive branch in the form of a sleeker, sexy race car to entice the fans back to the stands. A car, which will hopefully revive the “Win on Sunday, buy on Monday” mentality with fans so automakers and sponsors can continue to enjoy a return on investment in the sport. Rather than admitting their mistake in the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR will begin filtering elements of the Nationwide cars back to the Cup model. The cockpit is expected to remain the same to maintain the integrity of the safer vehicle but the car will take on a sportier appearance.
MAYFIELD SAGA: CONT
Jun 16
Mayfield sued by parts supplier, chassis builder: Suspended owner/driver #41-Jeremy Mayfield’s Mayfield Motorsports Inc. has been sued for $86,304.55 for parts, pieces and chassis work. Triad Racing Technologies and BDR Acquisition are suing Mayfield in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte. The suit was filed last Wednesday. Both companies share the same address, and their registered agent with the state of North Carolina is TRT co-owner Mike Held, who was one of the people who bought the assets of Bill Davis Racing and his chassis/engine shop Triad Racing Development. The suit claims that on Jan. 22, Mayfield requested parts from BDR Acquisition for his new Sprint Cup team but later requested to return the parts rather than pay for them and then returned only a portion of the parts. Mayfield also asked for some paint work to be done. He owes $79,763.95 for those services, according to the lawsuit. Triad Racing Technologies did chassis work for Mayfield, and TRT claims that Mayfield owes $6,540.60
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Danica Patrick says she is not likely to make any announcement about her future in racing until after the IndyCar Series season is finished in October.
The only woman to win a major open-wheel race in history is in the final year of her three-year contract with Andretti-Green Racing. She says she is in the process of gathering information about what her options will be next season in open-wheel racing and possibly NASCAR.
Patrick, who won last season in Japan, is in her fifth season in the IndyCar Series and is having her best year. She has recorded five consecutive top-six finishes with a best showing of third in the premier event, the Indianapolis 500. She is fifth in the series point standings heading into this weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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