UAW: Mayfield’s “Big” New Sponsor?

Jeremy Mayfield says he is “80 percent there” on getting a sponsorship deal that he claims is “Going to be big”.

What sponsor this is, nobody yet knows. But Mayfield was very descriptive when talking about this “big” new sponsor:

"“I’m the only one right now that fits their mold. It’s somebody that’s involved in everything that goes on in America, really. They’re going to show the world that they’re going to help the guy that needs help. Trust me, they’re bigger than NASCAR and when they come back in a big way they’re going to show they’re not going to let the big company destroy the little man. That’s what they’re all about; they don’t ever let the company run over the worker.”“Sounds like a union, doesn’t it? “Imagine if they got involved, and they’re behind me 200 percent right now. America’s not about a dictatorship no more and it never was.”"

Hazard to guess who this sponsor may be? Just look at what Mayfield had to say. It’s somebody that’s involved in everything that goes on in America? They’re going to show the world that they’re going to help the guy that needs them? They’re bigger than NASCAR, and they don’t ever let the company run over the worker?

Not to mention the whole “union” thing.

The company Mayfield is describing seems to be none other than the good ol’ United Auto Workers, or UAW.

Think about it. The UAW is involved in everything that goes on in America. They could almost say they own the automotive industry(though, technically, they don’t), something Americans live off of nowadays. The UAW represents the workers in the automotive industry. When the automotive manufacturers start picking on the “little man”, as Mayfield refers to, the UAW steps in and helps them.

Mayfield also refers to his sponsor as one that is “bigger than NASCAR”. And since the UAW practically owns the automotive industry(which, again I will say, technically, they don’t), there is no other company out there that is bigger, from NASCAR’s standpoint, than UAW.

And then there’s the “union” thing.

Something else Mayfield notes is that he is the only one who fits this sponsor’s mold. This is a quote off of UAW’s About page:

"“From our earliest days, the UAW has been a leader in the struggle to secure economic and social justice for all people.”"

And there is nobody who is currently affiliated with NASCAR that needs to secure social justice right now more than Mayfield.

Mayfield also claims that he feels he has been discriminated against:

"“[NASCAR] hasn’t really won anything yet, and they’re [upset] about that. [NASCAR] doesn’t really have any say-so about whether I go back on a race track or not. I really take this as discrimination. If they say I can’t get on the race track, for what reason? If they’re saying it’s because I’ve got ADD and I take Adderall, now they’re discriminating against me, or blackballing me, whichever you want to call it.”"

The UAW also says this on its About page:

"“The UAW has been actively involved in every civil rights legislative battle since the 1950s, including the campaigns to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988 and legislation to prohibit discrimination against women, the elderly and people with disabilities. “"

Mayfield seems to fit this part of the mold as well.

According to Mayfield, this sponsor is one that could have been big for NASCAR as well as himself:

"“What’s funny is, it could be big in all kinds of different ways, and all I needed was [NASCAR’s] support, and to work with me on this. They could have had races sponsored and tracks sponsored and I could have been with one of their big teams with a big sponsor and I guess they don’t want that, because I didn’t need them to get it.”"

The UAW actually used to co-sponsor Hendrick Motorsports’ #25 Chevrolet, as well as the Evernham Motorsports #9 and #19, the latter of which was driven by Mayfield for 5 seasons. The UAW also used to sponsor the October race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway(UAW/GM Quality 500), the October race at Talladega(UAW Ford 500), and the March race at Las Vegas(UAW/Daimler Chrysler 400).

So while whether or not the UAW actually does sponsor Jeremy Mayfield remains to be seen, we do know this. Mayfield has a solid history with them. They are bigger than NASCAR, as they practically own the automotive industry(though, technically, they don’t), and Mayfield fits their mold to a tee.

Did I mention they are a union?