All Quiet On The NASCAR-Mayfield Front - Just a Little Too Quiet
Why do I get a very strange feeling that the huge uproar over NASCAR’s suspension of Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield for alleged substance use/abuse is going to take some very strange twists in the next day or two?
Doesn’t it strike you as odd that NO ONE from NASCAR or, for that matter, Mayfield’s organization, has made any further public comment about the suspension since it was announced Saturday night before the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway?
Chat rooms, online message boards and the like have been inundated with fan reaction – with the majority seemingly believing that NASCAR made a huge error.
My own Web site, JerryBonkowski.com, would fit in that category, as we set single-day records on Monday for total readers, total page views and number of comments in light of Mayfield’s suspension. Readers overwhelmingly support Mayfield’s plight.
Call it a gut feeling, but I’m wondering if the silence from both sides stems from the possibility that perhaps they’re trying to work out some type of compromise deal.
Maybe NASCAR realizes it blew the call on Mayfield, that maybe he really is telling the truth that the combination of prescribed medication and over-the-counter meds indeed did produce a positive test result for illegal substance use.
And maybe Mayfield has assembled a heavy-hitting legal team just waiting to poke enough holes in NASCAR’s new drug-testing policy to make it look like Swiss cheese.
Talk about the potential for embarrassment in Daytona Beach.
Again, I have no proof, but I’ve been around this sport long enough – and know how NASCAR officials oftentimes act and think – that I can’t help theorize a deal is in the works to reinstate Mayfield while at the same time trying to preserve the “integrity” of NASCAR’s testing procedure and drug policy.
My guess is Mayfield will admit he inadvertently failed to notify NASCAR or Aegis Science Labs, which oversees the random drug-testing program, that he took a cocktail of prescribed and over-the-counter meds before checking to see if, conjoined, they would violate the testing policy.
In turn, NASCAR will suspend Mayfield for maybe a couple of races for failing to be in compliance with the testing policy (for not notifying NASCAR or Aegis or its CEO, Dr. David Black), but will reinstate him immediately as a car owner.
That way, everyone comes out of this thing smelling a whole lot better than they do right now.
What do you think? Do you also think there’s a deal in the works? Leave us your comments below.
Catch you Wednesday.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/12 at 03:43 AMI do think your theory is plausible, Jerry, but could this also be a case where NASCAR will stonewall us with the “no appeals process” stance and offer no further comment? We’ve seen that type of response time and time again on various crew/car chief suspensions for technical infractions over the years. I think this could be a perfect storm brewing for a NASCAR vs. fans smackdown.
I agree! It doesn’t matter if Jeremy proves it was aspiring he was taking, I think that NASCAR will keep throwing the “zero tolerance” and “no appeals” into his face and ultimately, the fans. I am a Mayfield fan and have been for years, but no matter the outcome, NASCAR will come out of this looking like donkeys because of their refusal to talk, to us the fans or even to the other drivers about what the infraction was.
Read the article in Nascar.com titled “Suspended Mayfield Tabs Yeley as Interim Driver.” In that article Dr. David Black - Nascar’s drug Czar - is quoted as stating about the drug screening program ““It’s a big, expanded profile of drugs, and also the testing is done at very low testing limits because of a safety concern.” If the testing is done at low limits with an expanded profile of drugs it is very plausible to consider that Jeremy is being truthful. It is possible that the aggressive screening process caught a hint of over the counter and prescrption medication meant to treat the specific condition for which they were prescribed to Jeremy Mayfield. If this proves to be the case, Nascar owes Mayfield a profound apology.
Can you spell CLARITIN. Betcha NASCAR is trying to figure out a way to get out of this without admitting they ban one of their own sponsors. BTW, they need to test Carl Edwards too. He even says that he uses the stuff.
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