NASCAR Daily News Headlines * July 5, 2009

Toyota All-Star Showdown Jan. 29-30

The schedule also includes a 100-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Super Late Model race and a 75-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model race. Both nights of racing will air live on SPEED as part of full weekend of racing on SPEED that includes the Rolex 24 at Daytona sports-car event.

“The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown is, without question, the pinnacle event of our touring and weekly series calendar,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR’s managing director of racing operations. “The excitement and competition has grown with each running of the event. The all-star weekend is a perfect way to cap a tremendous 2009 season, and also get drivers and fans ready for another great year of racing.”

The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown was held in the fall for its first five years. It was moved to January last year to give competitors more time to prepare and also to increase exposure for drivers and teams. The result was an event that had everybody talking. Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Joey Logano went for the win on the final turn of the final lap and collected race leader Peyton Sellers. Instead of a second straight showdown victory, Logano was penalized for the move, and the victory went to Matt Kobyluck.

It was just another of a long line of exciting finishes to the all-star race. Kobyluck, who won the NASCAR Camping World Series East title, became the first reigning series champion to cap the season with a NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown victory

"Toyota is proud to support NASCAR and its short-track program through the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown," said Les Unger, national motorsports manager, Toyota Motors Sales, U.S.A. Inc. "This is an event that continues to grow in stature every year and attract the best short-track drivers from throughout North America. Toyota is pleased to be a part of this event since its inception in 2003."

The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown main event – contested in NASCAR Camping World Series cars – is open to any driver approved to drive on a half-mile or longer tracks in the NASCAR Camping World Series. Current Sprint Cup Series drivers such as Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Logano launched their careers in the NASCAR Camping World Series. The series is the top development step for drivers looking to make the jump to one of NASCAR's national series.

“The Toyota All-Star Showdown is NASCAR’s most prestigious short track racing event featuring some of the finest talent this segment of motor racing has to offer and Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is honored to again serve as its host,” said Bob DeFazio, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale track operator. “It continues to grow in popularity as a ‘must attend’ event and we can’t think of a better way for race fans and NASCAR short track racing’s elite to put the finishing touches on 2009 and kick-off the 2010 NASCAR racing season!”

Each race winner during the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series season will become eligible for a protected starting spot. In addition, 2009 series champions of NASCAR's regional touring series – the NASCAR Camping World Series East, NASCAR Camping World Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, and NASCAR Mexico Series – and the 2009 national champion for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series are also eligible for protected starting spots.

In addition to eligible 2009 race winners and series champions, the starting lineup will be determined through time trials, limited provisionals for NASCAR Camping World Series regulars, and the last-chance "Open" race that provides drivers one final chance to make the grid."

New this year, the top five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state champions – as determined by the final national standings – entered in the Late Model race will be eligible for protected starting spots.

Mayfield Looks For Funding To Race

“I want to thank all of you who have supported us,” Mayfield said in the statement. “To say that the last two months have been two of the worst months of my entire life is an understatement. The only event I can think of that brought me even greater pain was the loss of my father in 2007.”

Mayfield, who qualified for five of the first 11 races this season after starting his own team and has 433 career Sprint Cup starts, contends the drug test findings resulted from a combination of prescription drug Adderall, which is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and over-the-counter Claritin-D allergy medicine. NASCAR and its drug-testing supervisor, Dr. David Black of Aegis Laboratories, dispute that claim.

Mullen lifted the suspension of Mayfield, who also claims that NASCAR must follow drug-testing guidelines for federal agencies, because Mullen deemed that Mayfield has a good chance of winning his lawsuit against NASCAR and that no amount of money could compensate for his suspension if he wins the lawsuit.(scenedaily.com)

Mayfield Will Try For Chicago

Mayfield successfully received a temporary injunction this week in federal court in North Carolina immediately releasing him from NASCAR's suspension from his owner and driver's role with his team on May 9 for a positive drug test.

Mayfield Motorsports' No. 41 Toyota hasn't been on the race track since the May 24 Coca-Cola 600. One week after that race, the Mayfields were forced to lay off their team members, including crew chief Tony Furr. Gaining sponsorship money to revive the team is their primary goal.

Furr, who was at Daytona International Speedway this weekend working as a consultant with owner Larry Gunselman's Sprint Cup team -- which was sent home Friday when qualifying was rained out -- said he had a meeting set with Mayfield for Monday and that he saw no problem being ready for Chicagoland or anywhere else.

"I want to figure out what he wants to do, because all the stuff is still there at the shop," Furr said. "We're a day-and-a-half away from having [a car] ready to go to wherever. The full crew worked for a week after the Charlotte 600 -- everyone worked together and left together."

Furr said the shop that Mayfield Motorsports had been using was owned by he and Cecil Tipton and that they'd continued to work there, bringing in Gunselman Motorsports as a tenant to create some income.

"Myself and Cecil have been there ever since it all shut down," Furr said. "And we're trying to make a deal for ourselves, so we can get a paycheck, because our [Mayfield Motorsports] paychecks stopped when everyone else's did, too. Larry had some good guys who were already there and we're just trying to help 'em get to the next level."

Furr said he'd continued to speak to his former Mayfield Motorsports co-workers and that getting them back together wouldn't be difficult. (nascar.com)