It's time for a wake up call

Do you hear that sound? It's the alarm going off for a slumbering NASCAR! Wake up people!!!

One of your suspended drivers is calling you out and you're content to stay in the dark about a serious problem in your sport. Ignorance is not bliss and this situation is anything but funny. He's using his fifteen minutes in the spotlight to share one of NASCAR's dirty little secrets and the golden boy isn't the only thing that's coming out tarnished. You've got to be pretty stupid to think that simply relying on suspicions of a problem to test these drivers is cutting it. Illegal street drugs isn't just the issue anymore. Aaron Fike didn't just admit he had a heroin addiction. He was also addicted to painkillers and that's where the real issue is. How many drivers use these same prescription drugs every day and no one thinks there's a problem. This isn't just football or baseball here. This is a sport where it's athletes are driving cars that go 200 mph and that drive dangerously close to unsuspecting crew members and NASCAR officials on pit road. His own team members didn't even know there was a problem, so how could they have ever stopped it without his arrest?

I'm not going to extend Aaron Fike's journey to stardom by posting his disgusting story of the drugs he used while driving in the Craftsman Truck Series on my blog. I refuse to let some punk destroy the sport I love. I do not believe his intentions were admirable, otherwise he wouldn't have put so many other lives in danger. I care about Denny Hamlin and the 42 other drivers on the racetrack. I care about the crew members and Officials on pit lane. And I care that NASCAR thinks it's current drug policy is okay...it's not. If it can happen once, it can happen again. Please don't let something horrible happen before you do something about it!

Special March for Babies Paint Scheme for the # 11 at Phoenix

Denny Hamlin, FedEx Kinko's and the March of Dimes will race a very special FedEx Kinko's/March of Dimes #11 Toyota Camry in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. The car focuses attention on the March of Dimes and the annual March for Babies walk - an organization and event FedEx has long supported at both the local and national level. As part of the car unveiling event, Hamlin was presented with a specially designed helmet by five year-old Dallas native Tiffany Bell-Nunez. Bell-Nunez was born eleven weeks premature and weighed only 2 lbs 13 oz. and much of the care that led to a successful recovery for Tiffany was aided by research funded by March of Dimes. Tiffany is now a very healthy five year-old and her mother Vicki, a FedEx Kinko's employee, remains an active advocate for March for Dimes. In an additional show of support, FedEx has set up a special portal on fedexracing.com for those interested in supporting the charity and FedEx Racing in the upcoming March for Babies.
Denny’s fans and all NASCAR fans have the opportunity to join him and the FedEx Racing Team in helping babies be born healthy by visiting marchforbabies.org, or fedexracing.com. You can also go to any FedEx Kinko’s for more information about March for Babies, which takes place nationwide this month.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Rick Yeatts) Courtesy http://www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/22684_29556.asp

Jeremy Mayfield released from Haas CNC ride

Haas CNC Racing announced on Tuesday it has released Jeremy Mayfield.
The move comes a day after replacing Mayfield with Johnny Sauter as driver of its No. 70 Chevrolet for Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.
"Jeremy's proven resume behind the wheel of a Cup car was a real benefit to our team," team general manager Joe Custer said. "He stepped into the seat and did everything we asked him to and more.
"Ultimately, we were unable to provide him with the right balance, handling and speed he needed to be successful. We wish Jeremy nothing but the best for his future."
A team release said Haas CNC, which also fields a No. 66 Chevrolet for Scott Riggs, was "exploring several scenarios regarding a replacement driver."
Sauter last year drove the No. 70 car for Haas -- which was a new team that Sauter immediately moved into the top 35 in owner points, where it remained all season. He teamed with the No. 66's pilot, the veteran Jeff Green, who accrued three top-10 finishes. But the team chose to go with Mayfield and Riggs as its two drivers for the 2008 season. Both have struggled.
Mayfield has qualified only once better than 30th, when he started 23rd at Las Vegas and scored his best finish, 16th. Mayfield's car, owned by Margaret Haas, fell to 36th in owner points after a 38th-place finish at Texas and must qualify on speed at Phoenix.
Riggs' car, owned by Custer, is 31st in the owner standings after finishing 27th at Texas. Riggs has one start better than 27th in seven races -- ironically, seventh at Las Vegas. His only finish better than 20th is an 18th at Atlanta.
Sauter posted Haas CNC's first top-five finish in six years of Cup racing, a fifth last fall at Richmond. He was ninth in the spring 2007 event at Phoenix after qualifying 42nd. Sauter qualified fifth and finished 15th last fall at Phoenix.
Two of Sauter's three career top-10s in 67 Cup races have come at Phoenix, the other a ninth in the 2005 spring event, driving for owner James Finch. (NASCAR.com)

Jeremy has struggled since his problems at Penske Racing. I thought he was finally going to get things turned around at Evernham Motorsports, but that ended in catastrophe when Jeremy decided to slam owner Ray Evernham and publicize the owner's involvement with his female truck driver Erin Crocker. His time at Bill Davis Racing proved to be fruitless and yet again my Jeremy finds himself on the outside looking in.

My only question is, what is his wife going to do? Where is she going to follow him now? She's been reduced to trailing him around the yard while he performs his lawn mowing duties, feeds the fish in his pond, checks out the go-kart track he's obsessed with and hangs out with the herd of dogs he uses to take the place of children. It's not good when you're wife's jealous of plastic cars and a John Deere tractor. Things have gone down hill for the Owensboro, Kentucky boy since he met her and they don't look to be getting better any time soon.

Maybe he should fire her and go out on his own. Jeremy, I am a huge fan of yours...your wife not so much! I truly do hope that things turn around for you and fast. I hope you've learned something from all this and that you wake up one day and realize that the "team" aspect of racing doesn't include anyone you exchange vows with.

Ryan Newman penalized after failing post race inspection

Due to the right rear quarter panel being too high in post-race inspection following the Samsung 500 in Texas, NASCAR has issued fines and penalties to the # 12 Alltel Dodge team. Driver Ryan Newman and car owner Roger Penske have been penalized 25 championship driver and 25 championship owner points respectively. Crew Chief Roy McCauley has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31st.

The penalty drops Newman from 8th to 10th in the points standings with 876 points. He is now 189 points behind leader Jeff Burton.

All I can say is "Ah..Newman!"

Stewart Cooper named new Crew Chief for Kyle Petty

Stewart Cooper, former Crew Chief of Braun Racing's # 38 Toyota and driver Jason Leffler, has been named the new Crew Chief for Kyle Petty and his # 45 Dodge. He will take the reins of the team starting at Phoenix for the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Cooper finds it an honor to work with the 45 team and he's committed to making the team competitve on a weekly basis.

"Stewart is that new breed of crew chief that couples a mechanical engineering education with a lot of practical at-track experience" Petty said. Because of his Nationwide Series success, General Manager Robbie Loomis has been trying to aquire Cooper for a long time.

Cooper replaces Billy Wilburn, who is now heading up the test team.

Simply replacing the crew chief will not make the team more competitive. The problems with the Petty Enterprises teams run much deeper than simple personnel issues and have been lingering for a long time. Kyle Petty hasn't been performing well for years and perhaps it is time to find out why that is.

Lack of sponsorship has made things difficult, money doesn't grow on trees and you can't be successful without the equipment to test and gain information. I hope that Robbie Loomis, Kyle and Richard all realize that you can't throw a band-aid on a gaping wound and hope that heals it.

NASCAR mourning the loss of Brienne Davis

I am saddened to have to say that NASCAR Engine Inspector Brienne Davis was killed in a traffic accident. Brienne Davis, one of the few full-time female inspectors employed by NASCAR on race weekends, was killed Tuesday in a one-vehicle accident during rush hour on northbound Interstate 77 near Huntersville, according to police and NASCAR officials.

A truck driven by Davis flipped and came to rest in the median just north of the Gilead Road exit, police said. Davis, 28, was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center, where she died of her injuries, officials said.
In a statement late Tuesday, NASCAR said, "We are deeply saddened at the loss. ... She was a key member of our team of inspectors and will be missed by the NASCAR community. "
In 2002 at age 22, the Louisiana native began work at Dale Earnhardt Inc. as an engine builder. In 2004, she joined NASCAR as one of its full-time inspectors. Davis began working as an inspector full time in 2004 and her primary job was race-day inspection of the carburetors and manifolds, in addition to tear downs of the top two finishers and pole-sitter.
Davis was scheduled to work this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.
Funeral plans are incomplete.

I can not say how deeply sorry I am for her family and friends. I remember seeing her on Speed just a few weeks ago and thinking how beautiful she was and how neat it was to see a female in the garage. I am sure that there are some heavy hearts in the DEI race shop, in the garage area and no doubt those sentiments trickle down from the top and even to the fans. She will be deeply and sadly missed and remembered in my prayers.