Associated Press
The NASCAR notebook …
CONCORD ó The attorney for Jeremy Mayfield hinted Thursday he’ll take legal action to have Mayfield’s NASCAR suspension lifted.
Mayfield and attorney Bill Diehl met for more than an hour with NASCAR officials. Although Diehl said the meeting was cordial, it did not get them any closer to resolving the issue. Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test.
“Jeremy doesn’t believe that he’s done anything that supports his suspension for the use of drugs,” Diehl said.
LONG RETURNS
CONCORD ó Carl Long’s best Cup Series finish came at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2001 and he got married at the track’s luxurious Speedway Club two years later.
“This place has been pretty good to me,” Long said Thursday. “I sure hope my career doesn’t end here.”
It could.
Long was suspended 12 races, docked 200 points and essentially fined $200,000 for having an illegal engine at Lowe’s last weekend. All were record penalties for the sport.
Long appealed the punishment Thursday, hoping the National Stock Car Racing Commission will reduce the figures at a June 2 hearing. NASCAR, meanwhile, deferred Long’s suspension until the hearing, allowing him to return to his full-time job as a crew member for the No. 34 Chevrolet.
“I’m still in shock,” Long said.
GORDON
CONCORD ó Jeff Gordon found himself thinking about his back instead of his car. After hours of agony behind the wheel at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, Gordon wondered how much longer he could fight the pain.
“If my back was the way it was at Bristol this year, it’s definitely going to shorten my career,” Gordon said Thursday. “I can’t race like that.”
The Sprint Cup points leader began a series of tests, which revealed minor arthritis and other issues.
TRUEX
CONCORD ó Martin Truex Jr. will decide whether to return to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the next few weeks.
Truex, a disappointing 19th in the Sprint Cup points standings heading into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, said Thursday he was close to making a decision on his future.