Ok...So we've all read about Jeremy Mayfield being fired by Ray Evernham. And maybe I have to agree that Jeremy's performance this year has not been outstanding. But, come on, people...I'm not a big fan of Jeremy's but I thought his firing was down and dirty...and THEN I found out the REAL reason Ray was so upset about Jeremy saying something to the press about his absence. Dale Cagle, business manager for Mayfield Motorsports Inc. HAS went on record to say that Erin and Ray Evernham have a very close, personal relationship. I guess Ray didn't want the news of his relationship with Erin Crocker getting to the media...which must be the real reason that Jeremy had a media representative following him around in his last days of Ray Evernham. This is what what was said in court during their settlement discussions..and yes people, it's on paper:

"Mayfield Motorsports said that for significant periods of time, Ray Evernham was an absentee owner and manager at best largely because at some point he had entered into a close personal relationship with a female driver that he engages on Nascar's ARCA, truck and Busch series. That relationship became a  subject of considerable discussion and distraction in the Nextel cup garage during the 2006 season."

Cagle says this in a court affidavit regarding his preoccupation with the female driver as being the reason Jeremy said something regarding his absence. Now, we all have our differing opinions as to whether or not Jeremy should have said something about Ray's absence...but now that I find out the reason WHY Ray was such an absentee owner..I'm irritated, disgusted, and  I totally think Jeremy Mayfield should get another chance!

Now, I personally do not care what people do in their personal lives, but this isn't personal and for a lot of reasons.

I'm a female and I was so happy to see female drivers in Nascar (although I must admit I do not think that they are aggressive enough). But with this little tidbit of news, I am left wondering exactly how Erin Crocker got to be where she is, as I am sure most people will be.

This means nothing but harm not just for females who want to try and get into racing, but for the ones already there. Is Nascar going to start having casting cars for tryouts instead of races? The majority of males already make jokes and give the females, whether drivers or fans, a difficult time...this just adds to the fodder for disrespect! It's a stunning blow to Nascar in all ways, shapes, and forms.