NASCAR Subculture- Brickyard Babblings and More Mystery for Mayfield

I've read more than a few articles this week saying that NASCAR maybe should forget racing at Indianapolis... that the fans have lost interest and attendance will be down this weekend. Jenna Fryer, noted NASCAR journalist, while making a guest appearance on the NASCAR Now Round Table show (ESPN Mondays) actually suggested NASCAR skip racing at Indy from now on. My reaction to that was "What???" This is the series that keeps two races at Pocono for goodness sakes... and journalists are suggesting we ditch Indy?

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a unique track... basically a rectangle that really stands out from the plethora of D-shaped ovals NASCAR races on from week to week. It's also one of the most historic racing venues in the world... of course NASCAR should race there! It presents a challenge to the crew chiefs and drivers alike to set the cars up to run well there. With the exception of last years exploding tire fiasco, it always produces a good and challenging race... one that's more interesting than the second race at Pocono at least.

Many are predicting that the tire debacle of last year will cause the fans not to show up in large numbers. Has anyone noticed the decline in attendance at all tracks this year due to the economy? I think the lack of dollars, not lack of good tires, is the major factor for fans not going to races. When the economy gets better and people go back to work, fans will be back at the racetracks. Just because Formula One had a terrible tire weekend and pulled out of Indy a couple of years ago doesn't mean NASCAR should. I personally believe F1 was looking for any excuse in the book not to race in this country and used their bad Indy experience as a convenient reason. They like to be the only game in town, and there are too many other racing series here to draw attention away from them. (And yes, I am a Formula One fan, so don't anyone accuse me of not liking them. I also really love Indy cars.)

I 'm looking forward to the race this weekend at Indy, as are many other fans. I trust Jeff Gordon's assessment of the new tires, so if he thinks last year's tire problems are solved, then so do I. The double file re-starts will add a new twist to the race and I can't wait to see how those play out. All we have to do now is pray for the rain to stop up there and we'll have a great weekend of racing at a grand venue.

One person who'll be missing from Indy will be, of course, Jeremy Mayfield, who is desperately trying to prove that NASCAR has wrongly accused him of being a drug user. While reading through the accounts of 'this positive test' and 'that negative test', a thought occurred to me. What happened to his test results from January? Every driver that wanted to compete this year had to submit to a drug test in January. So... where are his results from that test? He obviously passed or he wouldn't have been able to race this year at all.

A Dr. Harold Schueler of the Broward County (Fla.) Medical Examiner's Office has stated that if the levels of Methamphetamine in Jeremy's urine sample were accurate, he is either a very heavy habitual user, or he'd be dead. He isn't dead, and if he were a heavy habitual user, wouldn't it have shown up in his original test back in January? HULLO. Jeremy, go get those test results right now and take them with you to court. Notice also that NASCAR hasn't mentioned them? Also, if Jeremy's wicked stepmother claims that Jeremy has been a user for the last seven years, then again... why no positive test this January?

So I keep asking myself why Jeremy would persist in this endeavor if he were truly guilty. That, and the lack of consistency of NASCAR's evidence, leads me to believe that he's innocent. So on the reverse end of this, why would NASCAR persist in this if they were hiding the truth? The answer is clear... Claritin clear! NASCAR is trying to protect a very large sponsor! With Jeremy claiming that his positive test was from taking Claritin D and an ADHD medicine, imagine what it would do to Claritin if it became apparent that if you take their product, you risk a false positive test for methamphetamines. All the workers in the United States that have to submit to random drug tests for their jobs might stop taking Claritin D, (with or without other meds) or risk Jeremy's fate. That can't be good for sales, can it? We saw how NASCAR stood by its title sponsor, Sprint Mobile, when they denied Richard Childress Racing's request to change a rival phone company's logo on the number 31 car. It's tough to get sponsors in this economy and they'll protect them at any cost. It's sad that this time, it's the cost of a racer's career.

So while racing at the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway must continue, the NASCAR vs. Jeremy Mayfield circus act has to stop. One situation is good, the other evil. It always boils down to that, doesn't it?

Sources: NASCAR Scene Daily, July 21, 2009, Bob Pockrass "Jeremy Mayfield Submits Evidence he says proves he tested negative for methamphetamines."

NASCAR Now Round Table, Monday July 20, 2009, ESPN television.