Suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield, who has not competed in the sport since failing a May '09 drug test and unsuccessfully suing to get the suspension overturned, last night "called into a radio show” to ask NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France “if he could race again,” according to Bob Pockrass of SPORTING NEWS. France told Mayfield that he “needed to go through NASCAR’s recovery program for drivers who violate the sport’s substance-abuse program.” The minute-long exchange occurred on MRN’s “NASCAR Live” with host Eli Gold. Mayfield said on-air, “I just want to ask Brian if he’s willing to accept the fact that I’d like to come back racing and if we could sit down and talk about it and figure out what we would need to do and make that work.” France responded, “I’ve always hoped that you would choose the right path and not litigation and a bunch of other things. That’s up to you. You have a welcome mat out (for you) anytime you want. There’s a stated process that AJ Allmendinger just went through and we welcome him back and it’s terrific. That’s up to you.” Mayfield: “I didn’t mean to bother you on the show but it’s the only way I could get hold of you and I figured it would be a great opportunity to do that” (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 1/8).
