NASCAR suspends 11th crew member

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Ford ponies up with Mustang for Nationwide Series

CONCORD - The name is familiar to motorsports but its newest location for competition is not.

The Ford Mustang, the iconic pony car that has been raced in various forms of motorsports since its inception in 1964, will join NASCAR competition in 2010.

A final version of the car that will see action in four Nationwide Series races next season was rolled out with much fanfare Tuesday at Roush Fenway Racing.

Federal court may end up with Mayfield case

NASCAR on Tuesday moved Jeremy Mayfield's challenge of his indefinite suspension to federal court, a move that could keep the driver out of his car another week.

The notification came a day before a North Carolina Superior Court was scheduled to hear arguments pertaining to Mayfield's suspension for failing a random drug test. NASCAR's action automatically stayed that proceeding.

Mayfield had hoped a judge would reinstate him in time to compete this weekend at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. His attorneys will now have to either fight the suspension in federal court, or petition the case be moved back to the state level.

Arenas goes silent, will pay the price

The NBA is making Gilbert Arenas -- and the Washington Wizards -- pay for his silence.

Arenas and his team were fined $25,000 apiece Tuesday by the league because he has not been talking to the media during the preseason, including before and after exhibition games.

The three-time All-Star point guard became one of the NBA's most popular players thanks in part to his engaging personality and a willingness to speak his mind, including via a wide-ranging blog.

Mayfield wins, but the fight isn't over

If the Jeremy Mayfield saga was a movie, you know how it would turn out.

The bad guys and good guys would be far more clear-cut. Mayfield would be cast as the hero, fighting the corporate "Man" in the person of NASCAR.

Newly free Mayfield would haul his No. 41 Toyota down to Daytona Beach, enter Saturday night's big race and win it with a last-lap pass. A NASCAR official would sheepishly admit in Victory Lane that maybe Mayfield's positive drug test did have some problems. Mayfield would announce a huge new sponsor during his postrace press conference, kiss his wife and scream, "Just say no to drugs!"

NASCAR drug policy hits speed bumps

In a U.S. District courtroom this month, Charlotte attorney William Diehl launched a defense of his client, Jeremy Mayfield, by targeting the NASCAR drug policy that led to Mayfield's suspension earlier this year.

That policy, according to Diehl, was so open-ended that NASCAR could administer any penalty for any substance it deemed dangerous, even if a driver didn't learn it was banned until after a positive test. "If they decide to ban Coca-Cola or coffee or orange juice, their argument is, we can," Diehl said.

NASCAR's response? We can, but we wouldn't.