Mayfield A No-Show At Daytona; Likely Needs Sponsor

July 2, 2009 8:48 p.m. EST

Daytona Beach, FL (AHN) - One day after a U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary injunction allowing Jeremy Mayfield to race the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver/owner was a no-show Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

Judge Graham Muller cleared the way for Mayfield to return to the track, but he did not show up to practice for Saturday night's Coke Zero 400.

Mayfield had been suspended by the sanctioning body for eight weeks via NASCAR's substance abuse policy after testing positive for methamphetamines.

"As a federal judge when you release somebody to go back and do that without necessarily, in my eyes, clarifying everything that's not cool,'' said Cup driver Ryan Newman. "People make mistakes. I just hope the judge didn't make one.''

Mayfield Motorsports' No. 41 ride was not in attendance, likely because the financially strapped 40-year-old did not have the available funds or time to get his own operation on sight.

He was expected to be lobbying for a ride throughout the garage, but there were apparently no takers because team owners and sponsors were concerned about the accused driver's image.

Team owner Larry Gunselman, owner of the under-funded No. 64 Toyota, said he didn't have direct contact with Mayfield but communicated with him through others - Mayfield's former crew chief, Tony Furr, now works for Gunselman.

Gunselman secured a sponsor for the race, but it wasn't interested in Mayfield.

Team owners Tommy Baldwin, Joe Nemechek and Phil Parsons could feel for Mayfield's plight but also had similar sentiments to that of Gunselman's sponsor.

"I don't know of any people off hand or any people that have ever really had a problem with Jeremy,'' said Cup driver Matt Kenseth. "I don't know if we'll ever know or if there's a way to really find out or not if it's right or wrong. But certainly, if for some reason (the test) was wrong, you feel bad for the guy because he's been kind of crucified already."

Mayfield, who failed multiple drug tests, has maintained his innocence during a two month-long legal battle with the sport's sanctioning body.

Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's Managing Director of Corporate Communications, said no appeal of Mayfield's injunction is planned at this point, but "we're still considering those options.''[QL]

Mayfield could still show up in a relief driver capacity. A year ago an ailing Tony Stewart handed his No. 20 ride over to J.J. Yeley.