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May 31, 2009

David Reutimann and Ryan Truex Make it Two Pole Wins in One Weekend for Michael Waltrip Racing!

Great start to the weekend so far for Michael Waltrip Racing! On Friday David Reutimann followed up his Coca-Cola 600 win by winning the pole for today's Cup race at Dover and yesterday Ryan Truex won the pole for the Camping World East Series race in South Boston. David's pole win was perhaps one of the best things that could happen for the #00 team besides another win because it shows that the Charlotte Victory wasn't a fluke - this is an extremely competitive team that races in the top ten - or better - just about every week. As evidenced by their pole win on Friday, they are fast and they will likely win at least one more race, if not multiple races, before the season is over.

As for Ryan, it was his first career pole award in the East Series and it comes in just his fifth race ever in the series. Ryan backed up his pole win by leading quite a few laps and finishing third. His third place finish moves him up to eight in the overall points. The results in the first three races have been somewhat uneven for Ryan so I'm really happy that things came together for him at South Boston and he was able to finish so well! Probably because I've been lucky enough to interview him for a fan newsletter and then speak with him briefly again recently at Michael Waltrip Racing's fan appreciation day, he's becoming my favorite MWR driver after Michael. So I'm really excited that South Boston was such a great race for him and I hope that success will continue at Watkins Glen!

Sure hope David, Michael and Marcos Ambrose have are able to race up front at Dover this afternoon as much as Ryan was at South Boston!

Posted by silverdsl at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2009

Jeremy Mayfield Files Suit... But Does He Really Have a Case?

Jeremy Mayfield filed a lawsuit against NASCAR yesterday and while many fans have focused on the allegations by his lawyer that the case is about Mayfield's use of Adderall and Claritin-D what jumped out at me from an article at thatsracin.com is the following:

Attorneys for Mayfield said NASCAR told him he tested positive for amphetamines. They told a judge the driver had been taking medication for allergies and an attention deficit disorder drug, Adderall.

But Hendrick , the NASCAR attorney, said Mayfield tested positive for three drugs. Hendrick said officials threw out two because Mayfield had an explanation.

Hendrick said the third drug is “a dangerous illegal substance,” but did not name it. At one point, Hendrick said, “This case is not about amphetamines.”

Test results show high levels of the drug, he said. “Use of it represents one the most serious violations possible,” Hendrick said.

If it's true that Mayfield tested positive for a recreational drug - and we may never know because supposedly the suit is also asking the court from prohibiting NASCAR from revealing the third drug that Mayfield allegedly tested positive for besides the Claritin and Adderall - then he doesn't have a leg to stand on with this lawsuit. Even if he didn't use a recreational drug, I think NASCAR still has the right to be concerned about his use of Adderall. Amphetamines are not only used as performance enhancers but they're also commonly abused. They're on the banned list in other sports for a reason. In addition, a driver who used Adderall could potentially be impaired. It's astonishing to me how many fans believe that if Mayfield was using a legal, prescribed drug then it's okay, meanwhile if he's impaired while he's driving whether it's because of a legal or illegal drug, prescribed, OTC or otherwise, he could still be a safety risk to his fellow competitors.

Part of the suit also takes issue with NASCAR's testing policies but I think that - and all the talk about Adderall and Claritin - is a lot of smoke and mirrors on the part of his lawyer. NASCAR isn't a governmental agency and I would guess they have the right to enforce their drug policy and conduct the testing in the way that they want.

What I'm wondering about is why Mayfield Motorsports didn't field a car this weekend at Dover. As part of the suit they're asking for an injunction to lift the suspension so that Mayfield could continue to race. That was denied on Friday and I don't understand why they even asked for it in the first place since Mayfield wouldn't have had anything to race if it had been granted. Are they planning on racing next weekend at Pocono with or without Mayfield? No explanations appear to be forthcoming from anyone associated with Mayfield Motorsports and in fact the way that it came to light that they weren't showing up at Dover was via J.J. Yeley's website and based on what was posted there he appears to be just as much in the dark as anyone else as to why he's suddenly not racing again.

There's another hearing on Wednesday in which the injunction could be granted to allow Mayfield to race but if it's true that he tested positive for recreational drugs it's hard for me to see how that will happen.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)

Kyle Busch Speaks, Fans Get Upset

There's a lot of fans who are freaking out about Kyle Busch's comments about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the crew chief change that was made. It's really hard for me to understand what's so wrong with what Kyle said. For one thing, I think he has the right to state his opinions as he sees them, and particularly when he's asked by the media. Second, I also think there's a lot of truth to what he said. There are quite a few fans who bend over backwards to find every reason they can to excuse Junior for sharing in any responsibility for the woes of #88 team so Lance McGrew - and any other crew chief Junior works with - is in a bad position because if the results aren't good they're going to get blamed. Had another driver been the one to point out that reality there would probably be a lot more people willing to agree but because Kyle said it the immediate reaction by many is that he was wrong and out-of-line for saying anything.

Meanwhile, it's not like Kyle offered up his opinion on Junior on his own. When he came into the media center he got multiple questions about Junior. What's he supposed to do, not answer? He's been criticized in the recent past for brushing off the media so if he declines to answer the questions he would get slammed for that too. Fans always complain that the drivers are too vanilla but when a driver speaks their mind fans don't like that either. I would much rather a driver state their honest opinions, be true to themselves and show some emotion than be corporate robots who never offer up a real opinion and hide how they feel about things out of fear of offending someone. That's boring to me. I want to know what the drivers truly think even if I don't agree with their opinion. It appears I'm in the minority though which is too bad because I think it makes things a lot less interesting if everyone in the garage area is afraid to speak their mind out of fear of a fan backlash.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:10 PM | Comments (1)

May 28, 2009

Tony Eury, Jr. Out as Crew Chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

After a miserable performance in the Coca-Cola 600 Rick Hendrick couldn't wait any longer to make a change that was probably inevitable - Tony Eury, Jr. is out as crew chief for his cousin Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He'll be replaced this weekend at Dover by Brian Whitesell and then Lance McGrew will take over at Pocono as interim crew chief. Eury, Jr. will remain at Hendrick Motorsports in the Research and Development Department but I have to think there will be a lot of teams who will make some very generous offers to try to get him to leave to crew chief for them.

The big question of course becomes whether this will improve the performance of the #88 team. Maybe it will. Though it seemed as if the team struggled to find the right set-ups for Junior, I'm not convinced that Eury, Jr. was entirely to blame for the woes of the team. Fact is, as much as I think Junior is a talented driver - no driver wins 18 Cup races unless they have a lot of talent behind the wheel - the odds are that he has some things to work on as well. It's likely that nothing will ever be said publically but I have to wonder whether there were any discussions with Junior about what he might have to change to help make the results better.

I also wonder what happens if the results don't improve immediately... or at all for that matter. What can HMS do next and who will be blamed? They certainly aren't going to make a driver change, nor should they considering Junior is a good driver and is also a major source of revenue for them. But what happens if McGrew doesn't work out either? Do they just keep going through crew chiefs until they find one that works? Or if Junior doesn't get back to racing up front on a regular basis will HMS eventually accept that? Because it is possible that Junior just isn't a good fit at HMS or that as hard as this may be for many of his fans to accept that his best years of racing are behind him. Junior is being given some of the most competitive cars in the garage area to race and is getting the best of the best in general when it comes to resources so many of the pieces are there for Junior to win more races and maybe even a Championship. But it's possible that won't happen.

What's unfortunate for those of us whose favorite drivers are someone other than Junior is that the vast majority of the media attention is going to be on Junior this weekend. I guess it's a good time for teams to announce bad news because no one will notice. I feel sorry for whoever wins the race in Dover or really any team that has good things happen to them because there will likely be very little attention given to them since the focus will be on Junior, the crew chief change and how he does. Almost makes me not want to watch much of the TV coverage of the race this weekend.

Posted by silverdsl at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)

May 27, 2009

Robby Gordon Penalized 50 Driver and Owner Points

Robby Gordon finished 3rd in the Coca-Cola 600 by following the same strategy as eventual race winner David Reutimann but he's not going to get to keep all the points he earned with that finish. During a post-race inspection NASCAR seized the rear end housing of the #7 to take back to the R&D center for further inspection and today penalties were announced for a "rear axle housing that exceeded the maximum specified toe of plus or minus one degree." Gordon will lose 50 driver points as well as 50 owner points and his crew chief Kirk Almquist was fined $50,000 and placed on probation through December.

Some of Robby's fans are freaking out but for right now at least these penalties aren't a big deal. Robby remains 34th in both driver and owner's points and there's a comfortable 131 point cushion between where he is in the owner's points and 36th. Almquist being put on probation is certainly a nothing penalty. What likely hurts the most is the fine since Almquist likely isn't making as much at Robby Gordon Motorsports given their lesser resources as he would with a larger team. Sometimes the team pays the fine for the crew chief and I doubt RGM has a lot of spare funds sitting around either. The other way that this penalty could be costly is if for some reason Robby's results aren't very good over the course of the rest of the season and he's in danger of falling out of the top 35 - at that point the 50 points could loom large. But right now - what's the big deal? Lesson learned and the team moves on.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)

NASCAR Needs to Listen to the Fans Not Just Drivers and Owners

Yesterday NASCAR held two closed-door town hall style meetings with drivers and owners to address concerns and discuss the state of the sport. Topics that were discussed included the drug policy in the wake of Jeremy Mayfield's positive drug test and the COT. The meetings are a step in the right direction assuming NASCAR is truly open to hearing honest feedback responding to it, something that some have doubts about. But I don't think it's just the owners and drivers that NASCAR needs to listen to, particularly if it's true that one reason they held the meetings were to seek ways to reverse the continuing decline in ticket sales and ratings. NASCAR - as well as the teams, drivers and sponsors - need to be sure that they're paying attention to what the fans are saying too. In some ways that's difficult because there are a lot of fans who are overly negative and unrealistic in their expectations. But there are also a lot of fans who truly still love NASCAR but are frustrated and disheartened by the direction the sport is going in.

At times I'm alarmed because I get the sense that there are a lot of people who dismiss the fans completely and don't see much reason to pay attention to what they think. So how exactly are they going to get fans to buy tickets and watch races on TV again if they aren't willing to take the time to find out why they're upset? I'm also troubled because at a time when every single person in the garage area should be bending over backwards to reach out to the fans, there are still some drivers and others who can't be bothered. If not for the fans themselves, the drivers and others should want to make the fans feel important for the sake of their sponsors. Without the fans, there is no one for the sponsors to promote their brand and products to and they are less likely to remain in the sport.

Michael Waltrip understands these things and not only did Michael Waltrip Racing have a Fan Appreciation Day last week, Michael had a separate event just for his own fans, the Wal-Nutz. There are others who clearly understand why it's important to do these things as well. But does the governing body of the sport? Do they understand that they need to listen to fans and make them feel like they're being heard? At times they say the right things about wanting to be responsive to the fans but I'm not convinced they - or some of the drivers, teams and sponsors - truly understand what some of the issues are.

I also think that there are more than a few people in the garage area who are holding on to some outdated ideas about fan attitudes. Times have very much changed and a lot of fans aren't as inclined to be as loyal to drivers, teams, sponsors or even the sport as they once were. If anyone in this sport thinks that they can do anything and fans will blindly accept it as long as the drivers tell them to, they're mistaken - it hasn't been that way for a very long time otherwise there would be a lot less unhappy fans right now. The governing body of the sport, as well as everyone else who is involved, needs to listen with open minds to the fans. If they are truly wiling to do so then maybe they can address some of the problems and fans will be more willing to buy tickets and watch races.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2009

David Reutimann Wins the Coca-Cola 600!!!!

Whooohoooooooo!!!! Thanks to a great gamble by his crew chief Rodney Childers to stay out when others were pitting, David Reutimann won the Coca-Cola 600 today, his first career Cup win! It's also Michael Waltrip Racing's first win on the Cup level! I'm so happy for David, the #00 team, Michael and everyone at MWR! A lot of people never thought they'd make it past their first season in Cup and now in just their third year of racing on the Cup level they've won a race! I'm so happy and excited!!!!

As I continue this entry on Tuesday I'm still smiling from ear-to-ear when I think about David winning yesterday! But before I discuss how excited I am about David's win any further I have to address the complaints by some fans that this wasn't a "real" win. Get real! A win is a win no matter how it comes! As I've said before in this space, I'm so tired of all the reasons that some fans come up with to dismiss or demean wins - they came because of rain, it was only a result of pit strategy, it was a gamble on fuel mileage, etc... or all the crazy conspiracy theories like the person who said that NASCAR gave David the win because they want to help keep Michael Waltrip in the spotlight. Oh please! Strategy has always been and always will be a part of this sport. This is also a team sport and it's not just the actions of the driver behind the wheel that determines the outcome of a race. In this case David and the #00 team won the race because of a terrific decision David's crew chief made, a decision that every other crew chief could also have made. So I think it's a little unfortunate that David felt like he needed to apologize for his win afterwards. There is nothing to apologize for. I totally understand that some fans are disappointed when races are decided by rain but David won fair and square and so would any other driver who had ended up in his position.

I'm not going to let sour and negative fans take anything away from David's win though! As happy as I am for David, I'm even happier for Michael - the past few years have really been a struggle for him and to get to the point where he has a Cup car in Victory Lane has to feel so good! Michael should be so proud of what he built with MWR - I was just at Raceworld last week and it was an incredible sight to see! There was so much enthusiasm and excitement in the air, and I would imagine even more so today! Everyone at MWR works so hard including Michael and it's awesome to see that hard work paying off!

Michael spoke after the race at length about David's win and said how meaningful it was to see David's father, Buzzie hug him after he won and also how much it meant to be able to hug his driver himself. Apparently Michael teared up when he was talking about that - when he won his first Cup race neither his father nor his owner was there to hug him since his father had passed away a year or two before and unbeknown to Michael on that day as he celebrated his win in Victory Lane, his owner and good friend, Dale Earnhardt, had died in a last lap wreck as Michael was winning the race. So what a rush of emotions it must have been for Michael yesterday to feel so happy about David's win but at the same time be reminded of the hugs that never were to be with his own first Cup win. There are some drivers who seem to take winning for granted and don't get very emotional about it - I loved the fact that Michael showed some true emotion and David and the entire MWR organization was clearly excited to win!

Some seem to think this will be MWR's only win and those people need to get the idea that MWR is a fly-by-night organization on the verge of collapse out of their head - this is a professionally run organization with talented employees that is continuing to grow and develop. They have an extremely impressive facility and anyone who sees it in person as I did has to take them seriously. But I didn't have to go there in person to know that MWR has been making progress. David has raced up front consistently this season and even though the results haven't been as good recently as they were earlier in the season Michael has still raced better than he did the past few years. It was only a matter of time before David ended up in Victory Lane and this won't be his - or MWR's - last win! It's just the first of many trips to Victory Lane for MWR that will come in the future and hopefully one day they'll be celebrating a Championship too!

Posted by silverdsl at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2009

No Entries For a While

There isn't likely to be any entries in this space until next weekend at the earliest and possibly not until after Memorial Day. Although I'll have access to a computer this week I'll be extremely busy and won't likely have the time to do any entries unless something extremely newsworthy happens.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2009

Jeremy Mayfield Says He Plans on Pursuing Legal Action, Denies Taking Illegal Drugs

In a stunning show of defiance, Jeremy Mayfield showed up at the track tonight to watch the race as a spectator even though he's indefinitely suspended from racing or owning a car due to having failed a drug test. From the sounds of it he's not likely to return as a competitor any time soon either. Not only is Mayfield planning on pursuing legal action, he says he has no intention on following the rehabilitation plan set out for him by Dr. David Black and NASCAR because he says he tested positive for Claritin-D and an unnamed prescription drug, not illegal drugs. Give me a break. First of all, Claritin-D is on the banned list for other sports and both that and the prescription drug depending on what it was could have the potential to impair him behind the wheel. Second, Brian France said yesterday that they don't suspend drivers for taking OTC and prescription drugs. So Mayfield is basically saying that it was a false positive - I'm supposed to believe that there was a false positive when they tested both his A and B samples?

In addition, Mayfield says he was never informed by NASCAR what he tested positive for even though NASCAR says he received paperwork that specified what it was. So when Mayfield spoke with Dr. Black or representatives of Aegis, they never told him and he never asked? He never asked anyone else either? I'm supposed to believe that he accepted a suspension without knowing what he was being suspended for? Well, not to worry because if Mayfield's threatened legal action amounts to anything every detail of what he tested positive for - and why it's not a false positive - will be revealed not only to him but everyone.

What's most incredible to me is that Mayfield says he has no plans on going through the rehabilitation process to be reinstated. "Why would I?" he said to reporters tonight. Why would he? Well, he would if he wants to race or own his car again. Unless he proves without a doubt that it was a false positive - and I'm very skeptical he'll be able to - there is no way that NASCAR is reinstating a driver who fails a drug test and then refuses to follow their directives.

It's also astonishing that Mayfield insists on blaming Claritin-D. He's pretty much alleging that an allergy medication that happens to also be a major sponsor of a Cup car contributed to a false positive drug test. That's potentially damaging to Claritin-D because some may hesitate to use Claritin thinking that they might test positive on their own drug tests. I have to wonder what Claritin is going to do now that Mayfield has gone on the record saying that he used their produce. Seems to me that they may consider their own legal action if he continues to insist they were at fault.

It'll be interesting to see where things go. I may be wrong but something tells me that much like with Roger Clemens in the end it will turn out that Mayfield misremembered just exactly what he took to cause him to test positive.

Update: An updated version of the ESPN article has more quotes from Mayfield and from NASCAR. Ramsey Poston from NASCAR claims that Mayfield was told three times by NASCAR's medical review officer what he tested positive for. Mayfield also received paperwork that detailed the substance as well. Poston also said that Mayfield wasn't supposed to be at the track because of his suspension and apparently a camera crew following Mayfield was nearly removed from the track because they didn't have the proper credentialing. If you were Mayfield and you were already in trouble, wouldn't you do everything in your power to ensure that followed all the rules and didn't get yourself into any more trouble? Mayfield also says he got independent drug testing, though he declined to say what the results of those tests were and said something about hair samples. Mayfield also accused NASCAR of backtracking regarding the possibility that Claritin could have caused him to fail the drug test because they're a sponsor. Maybe his quotes were taken out of context or not repeated in full but half of what he said didn't make much sense to me particularly the part about hair samples. I also don't understand why he said that no one told him what he tested positive for but says someone told him "you tested positive for a certain whatever they call it" - did he just not understand what the substance was he tested positive for?

Posted by silverdsl at 09:34 PM | Comments (2)

May 15, 2009

NASCAR Says Jeremy Mayfield Tested Positive for Either a Performance Enhancer or Recreational Drugs

Jeremy Mayfield should feel extremely lucky that NASCAR is so resistant about releasing information about the specific drug he tested positive for because NASCAR Chairman Brian France today said that he either tested positive for a performance enhancer or a recreational drug. Since the Associated Press's Jenna Fryer is reporting that a source has told her that Mayfield didn't test positive for PEDs, it appears likely that Mayfield tested positive not for Clairtin-D or another allergy medication but for a recreational drug. France said that violations in the past that involve prescription or over-the-counter medications,

"...most of the time, in that circumstance, it’s resolved and … would not invoke an indefinite suspension that Jeremy and others have gotten. On the other hand, if you fall into the other category, as we say ‘a serious infraction,’ which a number of people have in either one of the areas – performance-enhancing or recreational at levels that Dr. Black believes violate the policy – that’s the end of the road at that point. They’ll be notified and the process will then begin as it has for Jeremy.”

Not much of a surprise that Mayfield's excuse, like the excuses of most athletes who test positive, has fallen apart - it was extremely hard to believe that NASCAR would suspend a driver for legitimately using a perscription or OTC drug. Instead of admitting to making a mistake and accepting the consequences, Mayfield opted to blame prescription and over-the-counter medications, with people around him spreading the rumor that he had been using Claritin-D. That's astonishing because it appears that Mayfield and/or his "people" dragged a NASCAR sponsor through the mud when it reality Claritin likely had nothing to do with the failed drug test and suspension. In addition, he made his fellow competitors fear that if they took medications for legitimate reasons, even if by prescription and as directed that they could fail a drug test and get suspended, something that doesn't seem like it would be likely to happen based on what France said.

I'm sure some are still going to claim that it was a false positive, that Mayfield is being set-up by NASCAR or stubbornly insist that it was only allergy medications that caused Mayfield to fail the drug test. But all of that is extremely unlikely. For one thing if NASCAR falsely accused a driver of testing positive for PEDs or a recreational drug they'd be setting themselves up for a lawsuit. I'm sure there are going to be some who will say that Mayfield's silence is an indication that he's consulting his lawyers and will eventually take legal action to clear his name but that's also very unlikely. During the course of a lawsuit the specific drug that Mayfield tested positive for would be revealed and there's no way that he's going to want that if the violation is as serious as France is saying.

No matter how much some may want to keep their heads in the sand and come up with implausible conspiracy theories and blame others, the fact is that the only person to blame for the situation that Mayfield is in is Mayfield himself. It doesn't appear likely that we'll see him back at the track anytime in the near future either.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)

Drivers Want NASCAR to Give Them List of Banned Substances

The hysteria over NASCAR not giving the drivers a list of banned substances continues with the drivers themselves now getting into the act. While I continue to think that a driver shouldn't need a list to know that they shouldn't be taking anything that might impair them behind the wheel, I can understand their concern. For one thing, fans and the media have been carrying on about false positives and all the legal drugs that might cause a driver to test positive. So it's understandable that some of them are getting nervous. At last night's Pit Crew Challenge Brian Vickers said,

"I’m afraid to take my multiivitamin. Because you call them [at NASCAR] and you ask them, ‘Is this multivitamin OK?’ And their response is ‘Well, I think it is. but if it tests positive, there’s nothing we can do about it.’ What am I supposed to do with that? And then all they tell you is, 'Just remember we had this conversation.’ OK. Well, what does that mean? To me, it’s extremely gray, it’s extremely vague. I don’t know what happened to Mayfield. No one knows. They haven’t released it.”

It's hard for me to believe that multivitamins would be a banned substance, that they would cause a positive drug test or that a driver would be suspended for taking them. In addition, just exactly who is he calling? If he really is calling NASCAR then I don't blame them for telling him that there's nothing they can do if he tests positive since it's not NASCAR who administers the testing. The drivers need to make sure that they're checking with the right people which would be the medical liaison and/or Dr. David Black from Aegis who are the people who are qualified to give an opinion on whether it might create an issue to take certain drugs. In addition, it is known what happened to Mayfield - he tested positive for a drug "of great concern" to NASCAR because of the possibility that it would cause Mayfield to be impaired behind the wheel. The drivers need to take some responsibility for what goes into their own bodies and not take any substances whether it's something that's legal, illegal, available by perscription, OTC or even homemade that has the potential to cause them to be impaired.

It'll be interesting to see how NASCAR responds to the concerns of Vickers and the other drivers. In the past they've sometimes made changes when drivers have been vocal about an issue but at other times the concerns seem to fall on deaf ears. NASCAR's stance that they don't want to distribute a list because they don't want to be locked in what they can test for isn't that crazy but they may be forced to tweak their policy and develop some sort of list to appease the competitors.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2009

Mayfield Didn't Test Positive for Steroids

An anonymous source tells the Associated Press's Jenny Fryer that that substance that Jeremy Mayfield tested positive for wasn't steroids. Can't say I'm surprised about that considering some of the comments that have been made by Dr. David Black from Aegis Sciences Corp., the company that conducts NASCAR's drug testing, about testing for substances that might impair a driver. Problem is for all the concern about keeping drivers and pit crew members who might be impaired off the track, even after Mayfield failed a drug test he was allowed to take to the track for practice and qualifying at Darlington because of the way the testing process is set up. Mayfield was informed on Tuesday, May 5 that he failed a drug test and was asked to provide an explanation as to why he tested positive, which he did. Aegis investigated his claim, rejected his explanation, and then informed NASCAR of the failed drug test on Thursday, May 7. The following day, May 8, Mayfield asked for his B sample to be tested and NASCAR told Aegis to rush the results so they would have them prior to the start of Saturday's race in Darlington, which Mayfield failed to qualify for which had to be a relief to NASCAR officials considering what was going on.

Some are taking issue with NASCAR's decision to let Mayfield practice and qualify at Darlington despite knowing that he had tested positive. That was something I took issue with originally as well as it seems to me if the governing body knows they have a driver that may have taken a substance that might cause them to be impaired they can't let them back on the track. However, after thinking about things it seems to me that NASCAR didn't have much choice once Mayfield asked for the B sample to be tested just be sure. Had they told Mayfield that he couldn't participate on Friday they likely would have had to announce at that time that he had failed a drug test and then if the B sample came back clean they would have needlessly labeled him a possible drug user and kept him out of practice and qualifying for no reason. So it seems to me that NASCAR had to wait until the B sample results came back to be sure that the first test wasn't a false positive.

A lot of fans have assumed that NASCAR didn't give Mayfield the opportunity to provide a reasonable explanation as to why he tested positive but it appears that did in fact happen. Only Aegis investigated and didn't find his explanation to be plausible. Which takes me back to what I posted a few entries ago - most are assuming that Mayfield took Claritin-D but would NASCAR really suspend Mayfield for an allergy medicine he had a perscription for or an over-the-counter drug that he took as directed? In addition, if Mayfield was legitimately taking allergy medications as prescribed wouldn't that explanation be plausible as to why he tested positive? It's hard for me to believe that they would ruin Mayfield's reputation and subject themselves to all this negative publicity because he took a dose of allergy medication.

Supposedly Mayfield is going to release another statement at the end of the week. It'll be interesting to see whether he sticks to his explanation that a combination of prescription and over-the-counter medications caused him to test positive now that Aegis has said multiple times that explanation isn't plausible. In addition, will he try to blame Claritin and question how they can sponsor a car if they (allegedly) might have led to him testing positive? Seems to me that's an extremely risky course of action - a lot of people think that Mayfield is going to sue NASCAR but he could set himself up for being sued by Claritin. Maybe Mayfield plans on announcing that he's going to pursue legal action. I think that's another risky idea as the specific substance and how much was present would be revealed and that might not be so good for Mayfield. In addition, I have to think he doesn't have much grounds to sue since he tested positive not just once but twice (A and B samples) so NASCAR is probably perfectly within their rights to take any action they so choose against him after that happens.

Mayfield also needs to be careful not to anger the governing body. He should be making every effort to work with them to follow their directives as to how he can be reinstated. I think that any driver who tests positive for a substance that might impair them on the track should be prohibited from ever racing again but luckily for Mayfield NASCAR is more forgiving than I would be. We've seen other drivers who have failed drug tests return to racing so Mayfield could do the same. If he wasn't abusing whatever it was he tested positive for I would think that he would return to the track fairly soon. However if he's resistant to following the guidelines set out for reinstatement or blames NASCAR or Aegis instead of taking responsibility for his situation - after all, he's the one who made the decision to take the substance that caused him to fail the drug test - he may find himself on the sidelines for a long time.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:44 PM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2009

NASCAR Looking Into Why Ratings Are Down

Finally NASCAR is admitting that ratings for TV broadcasts of Cup races being in a dramatic decline might be a problem and have said that they plan to look into some of the reasons and whether there's anything that can be done about it. Unfortunately after reading the comments by Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR's media group, I have zero confidence that they're going to really do anything to address the problems because Brooks seems to be completely out-of-touch with what the real issues are for fans. He said,

“The biggest impact is with our TV partners and their commercial sales. We’re mindful of that. The flip side is that we hear great things, that it’s not a NASCAR issue. It’s a broader economy and advertising issue.”

While it's true that one complaint that a lot of fans have is about how many commercials it couldn't be father from the truth to say that it's not a NASCAR issue. It most certainly is because fans are extremely unhappy with everything from the quality of the racing that the COT produces to the domination of a select group of teams who are the ones who contend for wins almost every week to the Chase for the Championship which has never caught on with fans. There are numerous fans who have lost interest not just in watching races on TV but in following the sport all together because of their unhappiness with some of these issues.

In addition, Brooks cites pit stops as being a key issue for fans in that they don't like when TV goes to commerical during pit stops. Is he kidding? Not once have I ever seen any fans complain about not getting to see pit stops. What they complain about is missed restarts and TV not coming back from a break when there's an incident on the track. They complain about how boring the races are to watch. And most of all, fans complain that there's too much attention given to a handful of drivers and teams. While it's impossible for every team and driver to be covered in-depth in every race, I believe very strongly that a big issue is that many drivers go virtually ignored during races or if they are mentioned it's only in the briefest of ways. Whenever that issue comes up it's said that if a driver and team want coverage then they need to race up front but the fact of the matter is that even when drivers race in the top ten or top fifteen they often get very little coverage. Marcos Ambrose is a good example of this - seems like every week he races in the top ten yet he gets very little attention for it. In addition, it's said that drivers need to make themselves part of the story of the race to get coverage - well, if a team has a problem or is racing extremely well it seems like that's part of the story of the race yet there's no guarantee that those things will be noticed or mentioned.

I've seen it said that fans aren't watching because Dale Earnhardt, Jr. isn't racing well so all his fans are losing interest - really? First of all, most die-hard fans don't stop watching just because their driver isn't racing well. Secondly, there are quite a few fans who don't care what Junior is doing including this fan. No matter what the surveys may say and no matter how hard it is for some to believe every single driver in the field has fans. And those fans are interested in their driver whether he's racing for the lead or racing in 35th. I would guess that if you add up all the fans of other drivers you would end up with a fairly significant amount of fans. But why are these fans going to watch if they know that they'll never see or hear much about their favorite driver? This sport has a massive problem if success or failure is dependent on one driver because even if Junior starts winning races this season one day he's going to retire - what does NASCAR do then?

I think an additional problem is that there have been quite a few veteran drivers retiring or racing in lesser rides over the past few years like Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett and Sterling Marlin. Many of the fans of those drivers have struggled to find another driver to cheer for and have just stopped watching. Michael Waltrip could end up retiring after this season - while some of his fans will cheer for the Michael Waltrip Racing drivers, the reality is that even with those drivers the passion that Michael's fans have for him won't be there and odds are unless they find another driver they feel the same way about they too many not have as much interest as they once did. NASCAR needs to find a way to have fans be interested and passionate about the overall sport and the racing regardless of whether their favorite driver is racing or not.

NASCAR should be extremely concerned about the drop in TV ratings. One would think that since ticket sales are in a decline due to the economy fans would just watch at home but they aren't and it reflects a larger problem that the sport has - the increasing dissatisfaction that many fans have about the direction the sport is going in. It's already extremely difficult for teams to find and keep sponsors - just exactly how are they going to convince sponsors to spend millions of dollars when they may no longer be reaching the audience they want to? It's not just the teams that are going to run into a problem since sponsors may start to hesitate to spend money on buying commercials and other ad time during broadcasts if they feel no one's paying attention.

Unfortunately since I think NASCAR is somewhat out of touch with what the fans really think I don't have much confidence in NASCAR's ability to address the problems that they're facing and reverse the TV ratings slide but I hope to be wrong - as a long time fan I want to see the sport success but NASCAR has a lot of challenges they need to overcome right now.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)

J.J. Yeley to Replace Jeremy Mayfield in the #41

Although he hasn't raced in a Cup race since last August when he was released by Hall of Fame Racing, J.J. Yeley was selected by Mayfield Motorsports to replace the suspended Jeremy Mayfield in the #41. Yeley doesn't know how many races he'll be behind of the #41 for as that depends on how long Mayfield's suspension lasts (something tells me Mayfield won't be back all that soon), but he's looking forward to making the most of the opportunity. He said,

“These guys here, it’s probably more of a throwback to what I’ve been used to most of my racing career – an underdog team with a handful of guys that have the heart to win championships and win races. … It’s been too long since I’ve been in something, and I’m ready to get back at it.”

In addition, Shana Mayfield has been named interim owner of the #41 since Mayfield was suspended not only as driver but also as owner. In my prior entry I said that I thought that given that Dr. David Black described the substance that Mayfield tested positive for as a drug of "great concern" that I found it hard to believe that it was allergy medication that caused Mayfield to fail his drug test. However, I've since found out that Clairtin-D, which is what Mayfield is taking is on the banned list of most other major sports because it contains pseudoephedrine so odds are it's also on NASCAR's banned substance list because it could impair a driver who took it. So it's possible that is what caused Mayfield to test positive though I'm still kind of skeptical given Dr. Black's comment about how he's never seen prescription and OTC drugs combine for the result that he saw with Mayfield's test which makes me think there was something else going on there even if he was really taking Claritin.

But the fact of the matter is that whether it was Claritin or something else, Mayfield failed a drug test. If he took a substance on the banned list NASCAR needs to take action on that. There's been a lot of criticism of NASCAR's drug policy because they don't give the drivers a clear list of what substances are on the banned list because they don't want to limit what they test for. I don't think Mayfield has a leg to stand on if his defense is going to be that he didn't know he wasn't supposed to take Claritin or whatever it was that he tested positive for. A driver shouldn't have to be told that he shouldn't take a medication that might impair him on the track. In addition, if there's any question at all, the driver can check with the medical liaison or Dr. Black, something Mayfield apparently never did.

There are many fans who are ripping NASCAR for suspending Mayfield. Some think it's unfair if he tested positive for Claritin, even though it's on the banned list of every other major sport. Others think it could have been a false positive or that NASCAR is out to get Mayfield. Nonsense. There was both an A and a B sample that were tested and Mayfield came up positive on both so it's not likely it's a false positive. NASCAR also doesn't have some sort of vendetta against Mayfield. They simply want to ensure that none of the competitors or crew members are impaired while they're on the track because the consequences could be deadly. I applaud NASCAR for having zero tolerance when it comes to drugs.

Many are saying that NASCAR should release the details of exactly what it was that Mayfield tested positive for - um, doesn't anyone realize that there are privacy laws that prohibit what NASCAR can say? I think because what players in other sports test for leaks so readily people assume that the governing bodies automatically release information about what substance an athlete tested positive for when they're announcing their suspension but at least in MLB that's not the case. While I understand the argument that it's not right for Mayfield to be branded as someone with a drug problem if the issue is that one time he used legal medication when he shouldn't have been I also don't think that NASCAR should ignore Mayfield's privacy - and the law. Mayfield has already said that his positive drug test was due to prescription and OTC drugs and those around him have said it's because of Clairtin. He could probably give more details but something tells me he won't be inclined to do so.

There's also quite a few fans who believe that the reason that no one has heard anything from Mayfield beyond his original statement is because he's currently negotiating with NASCAR to get his suspension reversed. That won't be happening. NASCAR isn't going to make a deal when it comes to a positive drug test. If there are any discussions between NASCAR and Mayfield it's about what steps he's going to need to take to get reinstated. Mayfield has been silent because there's nothing he can say to help his case. Even questions about Claritin-D considering that it's on the banned list for all other sports won't make him look too good. So odds are we won't be hearing much from Mayfield any time in the near future.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2009

A Drug of Great Concern

Would an allergy medication or an over-the-counter medication be "a drug of great concern" to NASCAR? Because according to Dr. David Black from Aegis Sciences Corporation, the company that administers NASCAR's drug testing, that's what the substance that Jeremy Mayfield tested positive for is. According to Black, who is a forensic toxicologist,

"We had a drug of great concern to NASCAR. In all my experience, a combination of over-the-counter drug plus a prescription drug would not have necessarily caused this positive test result. I’m very confident and comfortable with the action taken.”

Black also made it clear that NASCAR would only move to suspend a driver if the substance they were taking would impair them.

“There is a review for any test result to determine any legitimate medical need on the part of a participant. We’re not dealing with a very difficult issue here with regard to what might affect someone’s driving and certainly would be a concern for NASCAR. We would only take action if indeed we found the presence of a drug that would adversely affect someone’s performance.”

Given Black's comments I find it extremely hard to believe that Mayfield tested positive because of Claritin or another allergy medication as he's claimed.

In addition Jim Hunter, NASCAR's Vice President of Communications, was a guest on Sirius's "Morning Drive" to talk about the Mayfield suspension among other topics. One of the questions that Mike Bagley specifically posed to him was whether there was a way for drivers to check with or clear any medications they were taking with NASCAR prior to testing. Hunter said that there was, that there are drivers who are on different medications and they discuss it with the medical liaison or they can talk to Dr. Black directly so that he (Dr. Black) knows what medications the drivers might be taking prior to when they're tested. So even if allergy medications were involved with Mayfield's positive drug test he should have consulted with the medical liaison and/or Dr. Black to ensure that they were aware of what he was using.

Posted by silverdsl at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)

Kyle Busch Only Says 15 Words; The Media Freaks Out

Why is it still news when Kyle Busch doesn't speak to reporters when things don't go well for him in a race? By now every reporter who regularly covers NASCAR should know that when Busch has a bad race he's unlikely to stop to talk, yet it's still being made into a big issue by some members of the media. Jeff Gluck, who comes off as if he was personally insulted by Busch, has a lengthy opinion piece written in the form of an open letter to Kyle in which he all but calls Busch a jackass. It's astonishing to me that Gluck seems so surprised and offended by Kyle's behavior when it's nothing new and that he even took issue with it when Busch had gotten into a wreck and was being asked for a comment on his way to get back into his repaired race car so he could limp around the track and finish the race - is it any wonder that Busch wasn't in the mood to speak with reporters?

Here's the other thing - unless he finishes in the top five Busch isn't even required by NASCAR to speak with the media. If he so chooses, Busch would be well within his rights to blow off the media after every single race as long as he's not one of the top-finishers. That wouldn't be in the best interest of himself, his team or his sponsor but he could do it. Many drivers do. In fact, Claire B. Lang said that Clint Bowyer blew off the media after he wrecked and there were media members who wanted to speak with Clint since that wreck ended his no-DNF streak. Why isn't anyone writing an open letter to Clint? Why isn't anyone saying that the media should boycott Clint for a month as Pat Patterson reportedly advocated for on Sirius.

What is especially galling to me about Gluck's column is that he wrote it less than 48 hours after one of the biggest news stories this season in NASCAR broke. You mean to tell me that Gluck was more offended about the way Kyle Busch blew off the media than he was about Jeremy Mayfield failing a drug test and getting suspended for it? It's a sad commentary on the way things are but I would guess a commentary on how much Kyle sucks probably gets far more hits than one on Mayfield even though that's a much more important and newsworthy topic.

Of course I think that more often than not drivers should make the effort to speak with the media. It's not only how they communicate with the fans and get their message out but also how they get exposure for their sponsor which is their obligation to do. But I also think there needs to be some understanding that not every driver is going to be willing to talk all the time. I'm quite sure that all media members know when they can approach Tony Stewart and when they're better off leaving him alone lest he lashes out at someone. So why can't that same courtesy be extended to Busch? The worst part is that Busch actually did say something to the media, only apparently those 15 words weren't good enough for Gluck. Busch is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. If he speaks with the media and says the wrong thing out of emotion he gets ripped for it but if he opts to keep his thoughts to himself he gets ripped for that too.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:03 PM | Comments (0)

Dr. David Black Disputes Jeremy Mayfield's Allergy Medication Claims

One thing that inevitably happens when an athlete tests positive for a banned substance is that they always have some sort of excuse - they took the drug unknowingly, they took a legal drug that caused them to test positive, they were being treated for a medical condition, it was a false positive, etc... So it was no surprise that Jeremy Mayfield claimed that his positive drug test was a result of a combination of perscription and over-the-counter drugs, more specifically allergy medication. But the other thing that often happens is that the excuses that the athletes offer up quickly fall apart under closer scrutiny. Which is - no surprise - what appears to be happening with Mayfield.

Dr. David Black from Aegis Labs, the company that administers NASCAR's drug testing told USA Today that Mayfield's claims aren't plausible. In addition to saying that Mayfield tested positive for "a drug of concern", Dr. Black said, "What we have is a clear violation of policy. In my many years of experience, I have never seen a violation like this due to the combination of over-the-counter or prescription products." Later in the article Dr. Black makes what I think is a pretty damning statement when he says that there's "no way that a driver would be in violation" for using cold and allergy medications as directed. It seems to me that Dr. Black is implying that maybe it wasn't allergy medications that Mayfield tested positive for.

What some fans seem to be having trouble understanding is that NASCAR doesn't administer the drug testing themselves - Aegis is a professional drug testing company who have presumably done hundred and likely thousands of drug tests. Do fans really think that Aegis didn't follow proper protocol, that they didn't rule out the possibility of a false positive and that they didn't fully investigate exactly what Mayfield tested positive for? Do fans really think that NASCAR didn't speak with Mayfield and didn't investigate whether it was plausible that allergy medications caused a false positive?

There's quite a few fans who are saying that NASCAR should specify what Mayfield tested positive for - something they're likely prohibited from doing due to privacy laws as it relates to medical records. I think those fans who want more details to be released about what substance Mayfield is accused of taking should be careful what they wish for because I suspect finding out more may not clear Mayfield as some are hoping for.

Update: Even more damning information: Truck Series driver T.J. Bell told Speedfreaks in an interview last night that after abnormalities showed up in a drug test that he took, NASCAR gave him the opportunity to get documentation from a doctor that proved that those abnormalities were due to medication he took during a dental visit. I would guess the same courtesy was extended to Mayfield after he tested positive. Perhaps Mayfield is still gathering documentation that shows that his positive test was due to perscription medication but if Mayfield was given the same opportunity to clear himself as Bell was and he was suspended anyway it's an indication that he couldn't provide the proof NASCAR needed or it wasn't perscription medications that caused his positive drug test.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2009

More on Jeremy Mayfield

Quite a few fans believe that there's been a rush to judgment about Jeremy Mayfield and are expecting that NASCAR is going to reserve the indefinite suspension they gave him. That's not likely to happen. For one thing suspensions for failed drug tests aren't subject to an appeal. Second, Mayfield didn't just fail one drug test, he failed two since NASCAR tested both an A and a B sample which means that they did their due diligence to be sure they weren't making a mistake. In addition, I find it hard to believe that the first time Mayfield found out he was getting suspended was on Saturday - odds are he spoke with NASCAR regarding those positive tests and gave them the same excuse that he made in the statement he released regarding the positive results being from a combination of a prescription and and over-the-counter drug. If NASCAR was going to buy that excuse and let him off the hook they would have already done. There's no way that NASCAR is going to subject themselves to bad publicity or ruin a driver/owner's career and reputation if they weren't 100% sure that Mayfield took a banned substance and that there was something that needed to be addressed.

I also saw one fan say that Mayfield should and will be cleared like Ron Hornaday, Jr. was. Well, the only reason why Hornaday, Jr. was "cleared" was because NASCAR only instituted a stricter drug policy at the start of this season. Had Hornaday, Jr. been caught using testosterone cream, steroids, HGH or anything else on the banned substance list that he may have used without getting clearance from NASCAR first he too would likely have been suspended indefinitely, even if he was taking those things to treat a medical condition. Drivers and pit crew members simply can't take drugs on the banned list even if they have what to them and their fans is a good reason for doing so. As I said last year I also think Hornaday, Jr. is lucky he's in motorsports and not MLB because in my opinion there were numerous questions and truck-sized holes in his story that media that cover other sports would have jumped on a lot more readily than those in the motorsports media were willing to.

It seems to me that a lot of fans are having trouble wrapping their mind around the concept that Mayfield might actually have used a drug on the banned list. To a degree I can understand - for Mayfield's fans the idea that their hero did something wrong, something that could end his career must be something difficult to come to terms with. Everyone wants to think the best of their favorite driver but the reality is that they are just as prone to making mistakes and have just as many flaws as any other human being. In addition, some are saying that Mayfield doesn't seem like the type to use drugs - it may very well be that this was a one-time mistake in which he used a legal drug by accident when he shouldn't have. But it may also be something else, something more serious. Anyone can become addicted to drugs, no matter what kind of person they seem to be.

Instead of directing their anger towards NASCAR for doing what they should be doing and ensuring that none of the competitors and pit crew members are under the influence of anything, perhaps some of these fans should direct their outrage towards Mayfield. After all, he's the one who made the choice to use something - legal or not - that was on the banned substance list.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)

Jeremy Mayfield Suspended Indefinitely for Violating NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy

Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely today, along with crew members from two other teams, for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. All three failed random drug tests administered last weekend at Richmond. Besides Jeremy, the other two violators are a crew member from John Andretti's #34 Cup team and a crew member from Roush Fenway Racing's #16 Nationwide team. Of course the big news is Mayfield - this is the first time that a driver has been suspended under NASCAR's stricter drug policy that went into effect prior to the start of the season.

Mayfield released a statement this evening that stated that the issue was a combination of a prescribed drug along with an over-the-counter drug, which is essentially the Manny Ramirez defense from earlier this week in baseball. But no matter - a banned substance is a banned substance and there isn't any excuse for failing a drug test due to having taken a substance on the banned list. Like in the Ramirez case it's the obligation of the athlete in question to ensure that everything they take is allowed under the rules of the sport they participate in.

NASCAR has long touted their sport for being family-friendly and seemingly immune to the problems that other sports have faced particularly in regards to drugs. Of course that's all smoke and mirrors since the drivers are just as human as any other athlete or any other human being and thus have just as many flaws and weaknesses as anyone else so the odds were good that contrary to the belief of many fans the drivers weren't sitting at home every night reading the bible and drinking nothing stronger than milk and cookies. I've long thought that the only reason why NASCAR hasn't had many issues with drivers or others testing positive for drugs is because they haven't looked hard enough, mostly because they haven't wanted to. There were a few drivers who were suspended after testing positive but that came only after those individuals gave them reason to test them - it was only after Aaron Fike admitted to using heroin before racing and Ron Hornaday, Jr. was found to have been using performance enhancers (allegedly to treat a medical condition) that NASCAR was pushed into strengthening their drug testing police. Although I hoped that everyone in the garage area would be smart enough to straighten up their acts once it was announced that there would be random drug testing every single weekend, I suspected that it was only a matter of time before a driver was busted. It's a sad day for the sport that's what's happened.

What's even sadder is that there were three people who failed drug tests last weekend. That means that multiple people - and there could have been more people than those that were caught last weekend - took the risk of using a banned substance. Sad, sad, sad. There are countless people who would love the chance that Jeremy and these crew members had to work in the Nationwide or Cup Series and who would do so clean. What's unbelievable to me is that Jeremy isn't just a driver but an owner as well who has been struggling to make races and find some sort of success as a new Cup team. So there are others who are dependent on him for their livelihood, not to mention his team had a sponsor who is also a part-owner - wonder what all those people are thinking?

I'm also not very impressed with the way NASCAR handled this situation. News broke at around 5 p.m. that an unidentified Cup driver had failed a drug test and would be suspended indefinitely but that details wouldn't be announced until a 6 p.m. press conference. So for the next hour rumors spread about which driver was suspended which was extremely unfair and potentially damaging to the reputations of those drivers. Since it was said that NASCAR was aware that both of Jeremy's A and B tests were positive at noon, NASCAR should have had a statement ready to go as soon as the news broke so that no other driver came under suspicion. In addition, Jeremy was allowed to attempt to qualify yesterday for tonight's race - what if he qualified for the race? Would they have delayed the announcement and let him race? Would they have put the team in the position of having to scramble to find a replacement driver an hour before the race? It's hard for me to believe that NASCAR wasn't aware that Jeremy failed a drug test pretty quickly and if that was the case it seems to me that they should have tested the B sample and gotten the result prior to the start of this weekend, if only to ensure that there wasn't a driver on the track who had tested positive for a banned substance.

Sad to say but much like how in baseball I doubt Manny will be the last (foolish) high -profile player to be suspended for using performance enhancers or another banned substance, I doubt Jeremy and those crew members will be the last to be busted under NASCAR's stricter drug testing policy. And just like in baseball every time it happens it's a black mark on the sport and a sad commentary on the way things are.

Posted by silverdsl at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)

May 08, 2009

Rusty Wallace Gives Brendan Gaughan's Pit Crew a "Time Out"

What is this kindergarten? Rusty Wallace decided that he was so unhappy with the performance of Brendan Gaughan's pit crew that he's replaced them for the Nationwide race tonight. Instead, the #62 will be pitted by the #33 Cup crew on loan from Richard Childress Racing. Wallace said,

“We’ve had so much problems with our team [that] this particular race, Brendan Gaughan’s team, I said, ‘You guys are having so much problems that we’re going to have a timeout for one week. We’re going to have practice for the next two weeks. I lost confidence in what we were getting done.”

I don't know what the issues were with the pit crew that made Wallace so unhappy but Gaughan is 11th in points so the performance this season hasn't been that bad. Thing is just exactly how is sitting them for a week going to help them get better? In fact, it may make matters worse to have their boss say publically that he has no confidence in them. I also don't understand how they're supposed to get better if they're sitting at home instead of honing their skills in tonight's race. In addition, I have to wonder how Gaughan feels about all of this since at least one and possibly more members of his crew are people who have been with him for years in the Truck Series and whom he considers friends of his. Just doesn't seem like a move that's likely to motivate the crew to do better and it may create issues with Gaughan as well.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2009

Manny Ramirez Reportedly Used Fertility Drug

Although both Manny Ramirez and Major League Baseball have declined to release details about what substance caused Ramirez to be in violation of MLB's drug testing policy, sources have told Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn of ESPN that the drug in question is HCG, a fertility drug prescribed to women, that has also been used by athletes when they're finished cycling steroids to increase their level of testosterone. As it turns out Ramirez didn't fail a drug test, it was his testosterone levels that caught the attention of MLB because they were so elevated not just in initial testing but in a second test as well. Not only that but the testosterone was artificial, which pointed to Ramirez having used some sort of drug. Apparently during their investigation MLB somehow found some sort of documents that proved that Ramirez used HCG which resulted in the suspension. That's utterly astonishing to me that a player would use a drug on the banned list and leave a paper trail!

Of course there's no official confirmation that any of this is accurate but if it is, it's hard to buy his explanation about unknowingly using a banned drug that was prescribed for him by a doctor to treat a medical condition since there likely aren't too many legitimate reasons for a man to be prescribed a female fertility drug. That this drug has often been used by those who cycle steroids really makes Ramirez look bad - he may not have ever failed a drug test but maybe he just got lucky.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)

Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games for Violating MLB's Drug Policy

Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended for 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. While exact details of what Ramirez did or took are unknown, he has acknowledged that he took a banned substance. His excuse - and there's always an excuse - is that he saw a doctor for a medical condition and was prescribed medication that the doctor thought was okay so he took it not knowing that it was on the banned list. Some are saying that if it was in fact a prescribed drug that he unknowingly took than it makes it more acceptable than if he was knowingly shooting himself up with steroids but to me it's all the same. Yet another big-name player busted for using performance enhancing drugs and yet another black mark for the sport.

If one chooses to believe Ramirez - and at this point all we have is his word that the substance in question was something he was prescribed - he still looks pretty bad. Every player, and especially a superstar player who is potentially playing for a new contract, should be double-checking anything that they're prescribed with a team doctor and MLB, and then if it's on the banned list get permission to use it. And if Manny didn't have enough common sense to check things out then Scott Boras, his agent, or someone else in his circle should have done so. Some fans think a 50 game suspension is harsh for unknowingly taking a prescribed drug but I doubt there's an exemption to the drug policy for stupidity.

There are more than a few Yankees fans who are happy that a former member of the Red Sox was busted for using PEDs and because today's news will take some of the attention away from Alex Rodriguez. There are also a lot of Red Sox fans who are happy because of how disliked Ramirez was by a lot of fans leading up to when he was traded to the Dodgers. But I don't think there's anything to celebrate. For one thing it sure doesn't make A-Rod look any better, simply gives him more company in the Hall of Shame. In addition, every time a player is found to have used PEDs, and especially when it's a big-name player, it's another black mark on the sport. There's always talk about how the Yankees Championships and now the Red Sox Championships are tainted because there were players on those teams who used or are suspected of using PEDs, but it's the overall game of baseball that's tarnished by each new revelation about PEDs. More and more it's looking like there many be very few clean players. A sad day for baseball and even sadder is that A-Rod and Manny aren't likely to be the last superstar players named as PED users.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)

Brad Keselowski Won't be Replacing Junior

I'm listening to "The Morning Drive" on Sirius and one of the topics of discussion is what Hendrick Motorsports should do now that Mark Martin is going to be back full-time in the #5 next season which appears to leave "no room at the inn" for Brad Keselowski. A few callers have suggested, some in jest, some seriously, that perhaps in light of the woes that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has been experiencing this season that's led to less than stellar results at times that perhaps HMS should replace Junior with Keselowski. I'd think this should be obvious but there is no way that HMS is releasing or replacing Junior in the #88. None! Not even if the results continue to be less than what's expected from Junior. HMS will change the crew chief, the crew and everything else before they change drivers! The fact of the matter is that Junior is the sport's most popular driver who draws sponsors and a huge amount of revenue. He isn't going anywhere, at least not until his contract with HMS ends and when that happens unless something radically changes they will likely make a push to re-sign him.

In addition, even though Junior hasn't been too impressive this season and is just 18th in points, with three top tens and a top five he hasn't been that terrible either. Unless there are other issues, a team isn't going to give up on a superstar driver who is still racing pretty well and especially not for a young and still relatively unproven driver like Keselowski. Yes, he's already won a Cup race after just five starts but that win came at Talladega where the racing is very different than it is on the majority of tracks where he'd be racing on. So while I think Keselowski has a lot of potential and will likely develop into a very successful driver, he isn't about to unseat Junior.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)

Kevin Grubb Found Dead

On the heels of the sudden death of David Poole last week, comes more sad news for the NASCAR community. Nationwide driver, Kevin Grubb, who may be best known to many for being indefinitely suspended by NASCAR in 2006 for violating the substance abuse policy for the second time, was found dead in a hotel in Virginia yesterday. Grubb was just 31. Besides the substance abuse problems, I had heard that he had been struggling with some issues for quite some time. It shows that just because someone is a NASCAR driver doesn't mean that they're immune from problems and struggles just like any other person. I think some fans forget that and hold the drivers to a standard regarding their actions and who they are as people that's often impossible for them to live up to. Just a sad end to a sad story.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

May 06, 2009

Mark Martin Will Race Full-Time Again for Hendrick Motorsports in 2010

Ending speculation as to whether he would return to race full or part-time, Hendrick Motorsports announced today that Mark Martin would return in 2010 to race the #5 full-time, even though the original agreed upon contract was that Martin would only race part-time for the organization next season. I think this is a good move by HMS, not only expanding Martin's schedule for 2010 but also making it definite so early. Although the season started out slow for him due to two engine failures, Martin has shown that he's still very much capable of having success on the Cup level as evidenced by his win at Phoenix. What team wouldn't want a driver back on a full-time basis that has only one finish worse than 7th in his last six races?

In addition, today's announcement makes clear that the #5 won't be an open ride for next season. Of course that leads to speculation as to what that means for Brad Keselowski's future at HMS since it had previously been thought that he was going to split time in the #5 with Martin in 2010 and then take that ride over full-time in 2011. I don't think it would be a bad thing for Keselowski to spend another season in the Nationwide Series, especially if he knew for sure a Cup ride with HMS was going to be available to him in the near future but he's already said that he'd like to race Cup full-time next season. Which means that HMS could lose him to another organization since there will surely be other suitors for his services after his surprise win at Talladega.

There will surely be another round of negativity directed towards Martin for once again deciding to keep racing instead of retiring as he had said he was going to do a few years ago. But I think those fans need to get over it. At the time that Martin first considering retirement his son was pursuing a career in racing himself and Martin thought he was going to be spending a lot of time helping him but his son has since decided to stop racing. So things have changed in Martin's life since then and even if they hadn't I think he's entitled to change his mind just like anyone else. In addition, I think it would be hard for anyone in Martin's shoes to walk away - he's racing for one of the best organizations in the garage area, he races competitively every week, he's already won a race for HMS, he's probably being well-compensated and on top of that he seems to really be enjoying himself. I can't blame Martin for wanting to continue racing the #5 - he'll likely win some more races and could even contend for a Championship as well.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:43 PM | Comments (0)

May 05, 2009

This Week in NASCAR With Michael Waltrip and Chad Knaus (5/4)

Last night's panel on This Week in NASCAR in NASCAR was comprised of the always entertaining Michael Waltrip and Chad Knaus along with master-of-ceremonies Steve Byrnes. While I've become more and more of a fan of Greg Biffle as the years have gone on, I still prefer the shows when it's just Michael and Chad as they have a great rapport. They also bring different points-of-view and ways of thinking to the panel. When the show was first made over into TWiN I wasn't too impressed but last year and particularly this season the show has gone back to what it used to be - must see TV! Some highlights...

Michael's been working out a lot so he kicked off the show by joking about how he was looking at himself in the mirror thinking about how you get a six-pack when you work out and now he has his first pack - go Michael! He was also happy with the performance and progression of his car on Saturday night at Richmond. He started at the back, got lapped, got his lap back and then felt like he could run with "them." His team improved the car all night. However, at the end when it came time to "get with it" his car was too loose. I can't help but notice that when talking about how the race went for him, Michael left out the part about how his team didn't have the sticker tires he needed at the end of the race and that's apparently why his car was loose and he lost positions. I've seen talk elsewhere that kind of thing is usually the result of a miscalculation by the crew chief or someone else with the team regarding how many sets of tires to order from Goodyear so maybe if that's true Michael didn't want to throw Bootie Barker or someone else from his team under a bus. Michael said that they had a competition meeting at Michael Waltrip Racing earlier that day and that he likes where they are as a team and that they're heading in a good direction.

It was a rough night for the #48 team - as Chad joked they literally had no brakes. He said it's rare to have mechanical issues at Hendrick Motorsports but on Saturday night they had a brake line that got severed and was leaking fluid. They came in to make repairs and only lost three laps doing so which might have still allowed them to get a decent finish if things had fallen right for them but it didn't work out. Michael asked whether it was a piece of debris that kicked up and severed the brake line or an actual mechanical failure and Chad said that the brake line had been improperly placed in the shop and ended up getting pinched between two suspension parts - oops! Michael deadpanned that "every now and then you just pinch one off."

Of course there was a lot of discussion about Kyle Busch since he won both the Nationwide and Cup races at Richmond this weekend. Steve asked Michael if he had his Busch sayings ready and while Michael said that he would see where the show goes, I'm quite sure he had some in mind, only I'm guessing not all of them were appropriate for air! Chad joked that Michael was "beating around the bush." Ha!

Michael said that he's never seen anyone with the desire or enthusiasm that Kyle has for running every lap. Kyle won't settle for running behind someone and he's genuinely special. Whether you like him or not, you enjoy what you're watching, or at least Michael does. I hate to break it to Michael but there are quite a few fans who can't stand watching Kyle, resent his success and think he's undeserving of all the praise that's being given to him. Michael said that watching "that cat" makes him want to try harder. He appreciates what Kyle does. I'm not always sure how much Michael likes Kyle as a person but he can still appreciate his talent - too bad some others can't be like that because I think they're missing out on seeing something take place that could potentially be historical if Kyle keeps winning at the rate he has been. (50 wins between Cup, Nationwide and Trucks and he just turned 24.)

There was plenty of discussion about the events of the race and Michael was sure to point out all the times that other drivers got themselves into trouble like he had when he wrecked Robby Gordon by mistake a few weeks ago - and it's very true that Michael is far from alone when it comes to making a mistake or otherwise wrecking one's self or another driver. When commenting on a driver getting into the wall, Michael said that one time he hit the wall and then later told his crew chief at the time that his car was racing terrible. So his crew chief's response was that Michael was the one who adjusted it last!

Chad noted the importance of the pit crews and how more than ever a determining factor in races is the consistency of the crews. According to him if a team doesn't have a pit crew that can give them solid stops all race long there's not any chance of them staying up front all race long. The problems for the pit crews started this season with the longer stud length that was mandated by NASCAR - it's twice as long as it used to be. Chad feels that part of the issue is also psychological in that the tire carriers and changers are going over the wall thinking there's going to be a problem. So they try to go faster and when you go faster you make more mistakes. In addition, Michael said that preparation is key as well. There are issues with the glue and figuring out the best way to glue the lugnuts on so they don't fall off - should they glue them on an hour before? What can they do to make sure they don't fall off? So odds are just like with everything else, the teams are testing and experimenting with various options to try to make sure things go right or that they can do their pit stops better and faster than the other teams.

Later in the show Michael told a story about how he was racing at Darlington in 1985 just minding his own business and Dale Earnhardt pulls up next to him, points at him and tells him that he cut him off. Michael said he wanted to go back to Kentucky so he wouldn't get beat up by Earnhardt after the race! Of course Michael and Dale went on to be close friends so I guess Dale forgave him for that incident!

One of the questions of the week was about what drivers eat before races. Michael said that it depends on the individual. He likes to eat pasta. Benito, his motorcoach driver, is very European and chic (I've met Benito and I didn't get a European or chic vibe from him at all but he is a cool guy) and Benito cooks him pasta. He also loves turkey sandwiches - turkey on a bagel. From what I've heard of the way other drivers answer this question I think a lot of them eat similar things before races.

Good show as always!

Posted by silverdsl at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)

Lowes Food to Sponsor Michael Waltrip Racing Entires in Three Races

Yesterday Michael Waltrip Racing announced a partnership with Lowes Foods, a chain of 109 grocery stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Lowes Foods will be an associate sponsor on both the #00 of David Reutimann and the #55 of Michael Waltrip for the Sprint Showdown/All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 this month and will also be the primary sponsor of the #99 for the Nationwide race at Charlotte in October with David behind the wheel. Lowes won't just be on the MWR cars, they'll also be doing some promotions including a sweepstakes in which winners will get a trip to the October Cup race in Charlotte or a shopping cart race for $500 worth of groceries against David. Lowes customers who show a receipt for $25 or more worth of groceries will also receive one free entry to Raceworld during October. Michael said,

“It’s great to have Lowes Foods as a Michael Waltrip Racing partner. Lowes Foods is where I do my grocery shopping and I want my fans to know about the quality and variety they offer at affordable prices.”

It's definitely great that Lowes is partnering with MWR! Love that MWR was able to secure additional sponsorship and therefore additional money coming in which can only help make the cars even more competitive!! Another good thing is that this deal will put David behind the wheel of the #99 for a race - some fans were upset when it was announced that Michael and Scott Speed would be splitting time in the #99 but not David. So this way David will get to race the car at least once. I also love that Lowes is doing the promotions, particularly the sweepstakes. It's hard for the sponsors these days to do as many promotions and marketing campaigns as they once did because there is less in the budget to pay for these things but I think the companies that are willing to be creative and do these kinds of promotions are the ones that make the most of their sponsorships and are the ones that reach the most fans.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2009

Random Thoughts After Richmond

Not been much for me to blog about the past few days. Unfortunately I missed both the Nationwide and Cup races so I really can't discuss either of those races in depth. I have seen that Michael Waltrip is getting some criticism from some of his own fans for not finishing as well as Marcos Ambrose at Richmond. Meanwhile, from what I can tell from those who listened to the radio communication of the #55 team they were actually racing almost as well as Marcos, particularly towards the end of the race and seemed in line for a top 20 finish at least, which would have been pretty good considering where Michael started the race. However, as it turned out they didn't have any "sticker" tires and that caused Michael to lose laps at the end of the race. So Michael finishing 24th - which really isn't that bad - was due to factors out of his control. It's great that Marcos continues to race very well but unfortunately David Reutimann didn't have a very good night and his finished dropped him out of the top 12 in points for the first time this season. I hope he can race his way back in but given how competitive the other teams are that he'll be trying to beat it may not be easy.

There continues to be rumors that Michael is or should get out of the #55 and either retire completely or race only part-time next season. Besides being a two-time Daytona 500 winner, Michael is the best sponsor spokesperson in the sport, with a presence and personality a lot of drivers don't have, and has a huge fanbase - I think some are going to be surprised at just how hard it is to replace him. Putting a young driver in the car, even one who races up front, isn't magically going to get NAPA as much exposure as they've become used to with Michael, nor will it necessarily draw the same fan support. I hope everything works out for Michael, MWR and NAPA, it just seems to me that taking Michael out of the #55 isn't a decision that should be taken lightly. Michael may not have won any races yet this season but he is racing better than he has for a few years and it would be unfortunate if he couldn't continue to try to build on that either part-time or full-time.

As I write this entry I'm listening to "The Morning Drive" on Sirius and they're talking about Kyle Busch's success, how the fans are reacting to it and what's happening as a result of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s woes. Pete Pistone and Jerry Bronkowski, the hosts this morning, seem to feel that if Kyle continues to race this well and Junior doesn't that Kyle should become the face of the sport over Junior. But I don't think it's that easy. The fact is for as many fans as Kyle is gaining there are still a huge amount of fans who can't stand him. It's unfortunate but there are quite a few fans who still find him intolerable and refuse to acknowledge his talent behind the wheel. The more he wins the more some seem to dislike him. Fans can't be forced to like a driver no matter how good they may be and the fact is that even though Junior isn't racing as well as Kyle is right now, there are many more fans who are a part of Junior Nation then they are fans of Kyle.

It seems to me that there's actually a lot of challenges for the sport, teams and the drivers themselves when it comes to the fans. A lot of it I've discussed in this space before so I won't repeat myself but just like fans have difficulty with changes to the sport like the Chase, a lot of fans seem to have difficulty embracing new and young drivers unless those drivers happen to be friends of Junior - and even it's not a guarantee of a huge fanbase. It seems to me that part of the reason why ratings and ticket sales are going down is that as veteran drivers with big fanbases retire, those fans aren't finding other drivers to cheer for, they're opting not to watch or attend races because their favorite drivers aren't on the track anymore. Going back to Michael and NAPA, I think that's one of the challenges with that situation - Michael's fans will continue to support his teams but the odds are there will be a dropoff in fan support when Michael's no longer behind the wheel because his fans may not feel the same emotional connection to the driver who replaces him. I think that's an issue with Kyle - there are fans who appreciate his talent and are cheering for him but it seems harder for fans to develop a connection to him where they feel the kind of passion they do for a driver like Junior.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)