Updated: No Tuesday info from NASCAR on the drug test given to Jeremy Mayfield eight days ago. Dr. Black, the head of the drug testing company said to the media that the result would be available on Friday.
Update #2: Click here for a nice follow-up story from Bob Pockrass at scenedaily.com that re-states what is going on and tries to offer some possible explanations.
Update #3: The possibility exists that the delay in the Mayfield information may be from additional testing of the (second) B sample. This was also mentioned by David Newton on Tuesday's NASCAR Now program.
Update #4: Mayfield's General Manager Bobby Wooten has resigned, but not without strong words in support of Mayfield and against NASCAR's drug testing. Click here to read what this former police officer had to say about the meth issue. It's fascinating.
The saga of "Wrong Way" Jeremy Mayfield continues with the NASCAR media very clearly stuck in the middle of a mess.
Last Monday, Mayfield was drug tested three times. The final time was at his house by the NASCAR drug police after a full day of complete chaos. Click here to review that story from Bob Pockrass at Scenedaily.com.
Wednesday, Mayfield called ESPN's Marty Smith to vent his anger and Smith reported the details on ESPN2, SportsCenter and (click here) ESPN.com.
By testing Mayfield on Monday, NASCAR would have the results back on Friday. Some believed that was done to then make an announcement at the Chicagoland track of Mayfield's continuing drug problems. Instead, NASCAR related to reporters that Mayfield's results were still being analyzed and said nothing more.
So, the entire Chicagoland weekend came and went with Mayfield only being briefly mentioned by TNT's Marc Fein during the Sprint Cup Series pre-race show. While that was a relief to fans tired of this drug testing debacle, it also means that NASCAR still needs to provide some information.
Simply by saying that Mayfield's sample is clear, NASCAR will be making a statement that is certainly going to shake things up in the sport. By making the statement that the same meth problem was found, the sanctioning body will be confirming faith in the initial results that started this saga.
Either way, Sunday or Monday the next page in this mishandled public relations disaster may unfold. All the while, ESPN is tightly sitting on the footage of Dr. Gary Wadler from the World Anti-Doping Agency who was an earlier guest on the NASCAR Now program.
Wadler clearly said NASCAR's drug testing policies would not hold up in court when challenged. He explained the reasons why and was clear in his perspective that NASCAR had overstepped the legal boundaries of drug testing professional athletes. Since the time that Mayfield won his temporary injunction, that footage has never been used.
This Week in NASCAR on SPEED has steadfastly refused to deal with this topic. That leaves Allen Bestwick and his NASCAR Now Monday roundtable program to handle whatever information is revealed by NASCAR. Ricky Craven, Boris Said and reporter Terry Blount make up the panel this Monday.
Blount, Marty Smith and David Newton have been very good about relating facts in this case and adding-in some personal observations. Whatever NASCAR says or does not say on Monday may either end this issue or cast additional doubt on the results of the original test.
NASCAR Now is at 5PM ET and repeats at 9:30 Pacific. This Week in NASCAR is at 8PM and re-airs at midnight. ESPNEWS carries breaking stories during the day and TDP will pass along any media information on this topic as it happens.
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