In his May ruling, Mullen wrote:

Plaintiffs (Mayfield) agreed to release Defendants from all claims arising under a negligence theory or otherwise; Plaintiffs thereby waived their right to pursue their claims for defamation, unfair and deceptive trade practices, breach of contract, and negligence. Plaintiffs also failed to allege facts to support each of their claims. … Plaintiffs claims are hereby dismissed.

But Mayfield is arguing, according to SceneDaily.com, is that Mullen made a mistake by allowing NASCAR’s countersuit against Mayfield for breach of contract to proceed while dismissing his suit. The motion also argues that the judge did not give Mayfield the opportunity to amend his complaint to bring claims of wrongful interference with contractual or business relations. It also argues that the correct Florida law was not applied.

Shortly before the case was dismissed, Mayfield’s attorney’s subpoenaed Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson to depose them in regard to sworn statements they made about his lawsuit. It is unclear at this point whether or not they will be deposed in the event that Mayfield’s case is reinstated.

In May 2009, Mayfield was suspended for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy. At the time, Mayfield claimed the failed drug test was the result of the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine that reacted together. He later said that the mix was of Adderall RX, which he said he was prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Claritin. David Black, whose Aegis Labs runs NASCAR’s random testing program, disputed that claim.

Mayfield later sued NASCAR challenging the suspension. He was hoping to get a temporary restraining order that would allow him to return to the track while the suit was ongoing. That request was denied.

In response, NASCAR filed a countersuit against Mayfield accusing him of willfully violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, breaching his contract, and defrauding competitors of earnings. The suit contends that Mayfield was under the influence during races, and in those races won more than $150,000 that would have gone to other competitors.

In July of last year, Mayfield was granted an injunction, allowing him to return to the Sprint Cup Series. But he never returned to the track. But less than a month later, NASCAR got Mayfield’s injunction overturned. NASCAR attempted to get Mayfield’s injunction thrown out permanently, but that request was denied in September.

Since then, things were relatively quiet until Mayfield subpoenaed Gordon and Johnson.  Shortly after that, his case was dismissed.

NASCAR officials say that they are close to approving the specifications for the new nose of the car. According to SceneDaily.com, the change to the nose will affect the bottom half of the bumper. Currently, the bumper has an indentation, with splitter braces. The new bumper would be curved more, and would not require splitter braces.

NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said:

It’s just time for a style change. We’ve been working on it for about a year now. We’re working on [the brand identity] with the manufacturers.

Jamie Allison, of Ford Racing, indicated that everything goes according to plan with the implementation of the Mustang into the Nationwide Series and the changes to the Cup car, he would consider switching to the Mustang in 2011.

Allison said:

We want to see more brand identity in the cars. We’ve been asking NASCAR because we’ve liked what transpired in the Nationwide.

At this point, it’s unclear whether or not Wal-Mart would seek to sponsor a single driver for multiple races, or if they would sponsor several drivers for only a few races, similar to Coca Cola or Gillette.

Jay Busbee wrote in his From the Marbles blog on Yahoo Sports:

If Kyle can keep his well-documented temper under control and keep his eye on the larger prize, this incident could be the tiniest anecdote on the way to a championship. If not, Hamlin might find this wreck will end up costing him a lot more than he’d ever expected.

Jeff Owens of SceneDaily.com wrote:

 What happens when they have a similar confrontation in a points race, with valuable bonus points or a position in the standings on the line? Do they back down and give each other room, or race even harder? Will Busch be more aggressive next time, using his bumper to retaliate against his teammate? And if their brewing rivalry is not really over, could it cost one of them a championship? With their intense personalities, it’s a feud that could not only erupt, but one that also could have serious consequences.

Talk of far-reaching implications on the championship hopes of either team is overblown.

For those of you who don’t know, during the final segment of the All-Star race, Busch got a run on Hamlin for the lead and attempted to pass to the outside. Hamlin blocked the move and pinched Busch into the outside wall, causing a tire rub that eventually led to a tire failure that put Busch out of the race.

After the incident, Busch said:

Somebody better keep me away from Denny Hamlin after this…race. I swear to God, I’m going to kill that [expletive]. All his [expletive] fault. I had this race won! It was won!

Instead of driving his damaged car to his hauler, Busch drove to Hamlin’s hauler and stormed inside, waiting for him to finish the race. When Hamlin arrived, he, Busch, and Joe Gibbs had a long discussion about the incident.

With any other set of teammates, this could indicate a rift in the camp. But with a driver like Busch, whose reactions are steeped in emotions, these antics are not surprising; some would even say they’re expected.

Busch hates losing, and he lets his emotions dictate actions. That combination often leads to outbursts like Saturday night. It’s not surprising. But, if you look at Busch’s track record, he is not one who really holds a grudge – at least a grudge that he carries with him to the track.

Busch has had several run-ins with other drivers since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. But, most of those clashes have been the result of Busch being overly aggressive in the car, or Busch thinking someone cost him a chance to win.

And while Busch has the reputation of a hot-headed driver with a temper, those incidents rarely result in Busch retaliating on-track. He has confronted drivers on pit road and in the garage, but he hasn’t consistently, intentionally wrecked anyone who has wrecked him.

While Hamlin isn’t afraid to spin out a driver who has crossed him, in this case, he isn’t the one who got the short end of the stick. He also realizes how emotional Busch can be and therefore is unlikely to put much stock in what Busch says. So, it should be much easier for him – the driver more likely to hold a grudge that translates into on-track retaliation – to let it go.

When Hamlin and more importantly Busch look at this incident when they’re calm, they will both see that this was a racing incident, nothing more.

There were less than 10 laps to go when the incident occurred. Inside of 10 laps to go, all bets are off. The racing gets tighter, and there’s much less give and take — teammates or not. When battling for the lead, and a potential win, you race hard. Add in that the race was non-points-paying and for $1 million and surely Busch will understand why Hamlin went for the block.

And Hamlin never made contact with Busch. Hamlin certainly shut the door on Busch, but he didn’t hit him and force him into the wall. Busch made contact with the wall on his own.

Once removed from the heat of the moment, Busch will realize that Hamlin blocked him cleanly, and did so to preserve a victory, and that should help him realize that this was a racing incident, nothing more.

History

The concept for this blog started many years before in launched. I kicked the idea around for several years, but could never come up with a niche for my blog. Should I cover NASCAR news?  How will that be unique compared to all other NASCAR coverage?

Eventually, I settled on the idea that I would feature a synopsis and analysis of the media coverage of NASCAR. But, that idea quickly evolved into what the Lead Lap has become today: a mix of news, rumors, and opinions.

I wanted to create a blog that featured current NASCAR news interjected with my thoughts and opinions. I also wanted to bring in other types of stories that were tangentally related to NASCAR — for example the economic conditions and their affect on NASCAR, and the companies involved in NASCAR.

In one year’s time, I think I have acheived those goals. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Future

In the future, I hope to continue to grow this blog, and maybe eventually expand to a full-blown website. I’m still kicking around ideas for what the website would feature and how it would fit in with other sites like Jayski and SceneDaily.

A redesign may also be coming. I’m hoping to give the Lead Lap a better look and feel.

Stats

Looking back at the last year, I’ve put together some stats I would like to share. In April 2007, the Lead Lap generated 41 views — most of those coming from my girlfriend. Since then, the Lead Lap has grown to an average of 832 views per month, with a high of 1,500 views in July of 2007.

When this blog was launched, the hottest NASCAR story was the speculation surrounding Tony Stewart’s 2009 plans. As a matter of fact, my first posting was on this very subject. At that time, it was unclear whether or not Stewart would be released from his contract.

Coincidentally, the Lead Lap’s top post by page views was the official announcement that Tony Stewart would be driving the Old Spice, Office Depot Chevy for Stewart Haas Racing. The number 2 post? Army sponsoring Ryan Newman and SHR.

Last week’s story on fans injured during Carl Edwards Talladega wreck was the most viewed non-SHR story. But, the Car and Driver hoax article story is right behind it, and is still closing the gap.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has visited, and continues to visit, this blog and those of you who share your insights and opinions via comments. I do my best to respond to each one, and will continue to do so. Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank my girlfriend who helped me get this blog off the ground and, even though she is not a NASCAR fan, still continues to check it out daily. Thanks.