Nascar and Racing Sprint Cup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR Chairman Brian France addressed the media Friday afternoon in the infield of Daytona International Speedway and insisted that despite the downturn in the economy, sagging television ratings and lagging attendance, he considers the sport to be relatively healthy - competitive racing and compelling championships trumping the downsides.

"Everyone would like to point to me that the world is crumbling,'' France said. "I'm not telling you it's not difficult, it is. But we try to keep things in perspective. Lots of people would like to have our problems.''

And then France tackled the hot topic of the weekend here in Daytona -- a federal judge's decision Wedneday to lift NASCAR's suspension of driver Jeremy Mayfield, who failed a drug test in May.

"We don't just go laying the hammer down and ruining someone's career,'' France said emphatically. "We know what it means to anyone to get such a positive test back ... we are very comfortable that the test is accurate and reliable and will hold up, ultimately, when all of the facts are heard.''

Tony Stewart picked up his third rain-out pole position of the season Friday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. He'll start the No. 14 Burger King-sponsored Chevrolet first in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 by virtue of leading the championship standings. Rain washed out qualifying so the starting order reverts back to the season rankings.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will start second and third.

"We weren't going to be third, I know that,'' Johnson said with a smile. "We'll take the track position, it is so important where you start and to take advantage of that all day long.''

Max Papis and Mike Wallace were among those outside the top-35 in the standings who ended up on the end of the circumstance and will miss the race. This is the fifth time this season and third time in the last five Sprint Cup races that qualifying has been cancelled because of bad weather.

Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona will mark the official midway point of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Naturally, it's a great time to review what we've seen so far from the Cup boys, their teams, the series and the tracks. First, we'll start with the not-so-hot performers:

Motorsports FanHouse Grade: F

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - It's been easy to see why the season for driver No. 88 has earned a failing grade. He's been slowly -- very slowly -- improving of late, but still has no chance for the Chase in 2009 and has one track left with a great chance to win at -- Daytona.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeremy Mayfield did not bring his race team to Daytona International Speedway Thursday, despite getting the go-ahead from the U.S. District Court in Charlotte on Wednesday.

Mayfield, an owner-driver in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on May 9 after allegedly testing positive for methamphetamine on May 1. He has repeatedly denied that he took the illegal drugs, insisting the test was a false positive -- the result of mixing a prescription drug and a common allergy medication.

Mayfield has sued NASCAR over the test results, and Wednesday U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen ruled he could compete until his trial, saying the damage to Mayfield's reputation and career exceeded the potential damage done to NASCAR.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Some drivers said Thursday they've noticed a change in NASCAR's drug testing procedure: A more detailed, formal process since Sprint Cup owner-driver Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely for failing a random drug test on May 1.

"When I went at the start of the year, it was go in, take your sample, sign your name and basically walk out,'' Kasey Kahne said, "It was a five, 10 minute process. ... Now it's every step, you have to initial every step through the process. It seemed like it took 40 minutes in Sonoma (two weeks ago).''

Kurt Busch said he hasn't been tested since Mayfield's suspension took effect but welcomed the news.

"If they have made changes, I'm glad it's more formal,'' Busch said. "It seemed informal in the beginning."

One of the loudest buzzes in motor sports the past couple of weeks comes in the form of one tiny, but potent, package -- Danica Patrick. Does she dare make the daunting move from the IndyCar Series to NASCAR?

Only those close to her know Danica's true intentions, but we can say with certainty she is a savvy business woman. Making public her willingness to entertain any and all offers from both series is a prudent business decision. Danica may have every intention of remaining in the IndyCar Series and simply jumping from Andretti-Green Racing to Chip Ganassi's team, so she could very well be using the NASCAR chatter as a bargaining chip. She possesses the driving ability and marketing appeal to demand her price and place.

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More Coverage: Get NASCAR on SPEED TV Schedule

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Join driver Ryan Newman trackside at Daytona International Speedway Friday at 3 PM ET for a live chat with FanHouse readers. Newman, who drives the No. 39 U.S. Army-sponsored Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, is ranked seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner enters Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 with eight top-10s, and his best showing in Daytona's summer race is 11th. This is your chance to catch up with one of the season's biggest success stories.

Also, 2003 Daytona race winner Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, will join FanHouse for a live chat at 3 PM ET on Saturday.

Chat with Ryan Newman after the jump.

After what the Charlotte Observer is calling a "loud confrontation" at a Manchester, N.H., hotel prior to last Sunday's Lenox 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, TNT play-by-play announcer Bill Weber won't be returning to the booth in 2009.

The network announced the move Wednesday, and also confirmed that Ralph Sheheen will continue in the replacement role for the final two TNT races this weekend in Daytona Beach and next at Chicagoland.

Sheheen did a bang-up job in his first coverage of a Sprint Cup race on Sunday, but the bigger question surrounds what exactly Weber did to force himself out of the booth for what will ultimately be half of TNT's NASCAR coverage.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A judge issued a temporary injunction on Wednesday to lift Jeremy Mayfield's drug suspension, leaving the NASCAR driver free to race at Daytona this weekend.

U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen concluded the "likelihood of a false positive in this case is quite substantial." The decision came after NASCAR's lawyers portrayed Mayfield as a danger to the sport after he tested positive for methamphetamines on May 1. He was suspended indefinitely eight days later.

Mayfield's lawyers argued he never used recreational drugs and that NASCAR's testing system was flawed.

Mopping up from a wet finish, here's this week's teenage wasteland edition of Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes. They're Logano-rific!

No. No. No. Rain Tires. No.

Because this is the third time in 2009 that a Sprint Cup race has been halted by rain [congrats, Lincoln Log-ano!], the thoughts of "Why can't NASCAR use rain tires?" are creeping back again.

Well, you want the answer? It's way too simple: the racing would plain suck.