In NASCAR, winning is everything. Winning means greatness. Winning defines success.
If only we could figure out what the key to success in NASCAR really is.
After reading a story on Yahoo.com yesterday, I found out that Jeremy Mayfield’s stepmother, Lisa, has discovered the key to success in NASCAR: Methamphetamine
On Wednesday, Lisa came out and told the world what kind of an “addict” her step-son(who, by the way, disowned her as his step-mother a long time ago) really was. Her witness against him went something like this:
“Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often.”
And that was about the extent of her story.
Ironically, the years 1998-2005 were the years of Mayfield’s prime. During that period, Mayfield earned all 5 of his career wins. He finished in the top 10 in points 3 times, including back-to-back trips to the Chase. The bracket years were his best, as he finished 7th in the 1998 standings, and 9th in the 2005 standings.
Mayfield earned 43 of his 48 career top 5s, and 85 of his 96 top 10s during that period.
But the most impressive stat during that time is that, in 271 races during that time, Mayfield only had 19 DNFs due to crashes. That’s a mere 7% of the races he ran! On average, Mayfield didn’t even crash out of 3 races per year! In Jimmie Johnson’s 2007 championship season, he had 4 DNFs due to crashing.
The funny thing about all this is that meth isn’t a performance enhancer. In fact, its side-effects show that it is quite the opposite, as they can include dizziness, insomnia, diarrhea, numbness, muscle twitches, heart attack, stroke, and even death.
All this alone should prove that Mayfield is and was innocent.
But let’s say that Mayfield’s wacko step-mother is right. Does that mean that Mayfield’s best years came because he was on meth, or despite the fact that he was on meth? Would Jeremy have been a NASCAR champion had he not been on meth?
Let’s say that his best years were a result of the meth. He only won 5 races during those 7 years. Jimmie Johnson has won more races than that in 3 of the past 5 years, and he’s won 3 championships. Could he be on meth? What about Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his career year of 2004, when he won 6 races? Was he on meth? Or what about 4-time champion Jeff Gordon? Was he on meth during his prime? Brian France has said that NASCAR gets positive drug tests all the time, so one can only wonder.
Personally, I don’t believe that any of the drivers in NASCAR today, including Mayfield, have ever used methamphetamine. But you can’t rule it out. If meth actually can help you race better, then my guess is that Jeremy Mayfield won’t be the only one suspected of using the drug. At least, he shouldn’t be.
And if meth can’t help you race better, then Lisa’s testamony should be thrown out.
Tags: Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, Jeremy Mayfield, Jimmie Johnson, Lisa Mayfield


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