Mammoth Blog

Panic at the Disco guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker are leaving the band "to embark on a musical excursion of their own," they announced today.

"Though the four of us have made music together in the past, we've creatively evolved in different directions which has compromised what each of us want to personally achieve," wrote Ross and Walker in a post on the band's website. "Over the years, we have remained close and honest with each other, which helped us to realize that our goals were different and that parting ways is truly what is best for each of us. We are all excited for the future, you should be too."

The post confirmed that drummer Spencer Smith, who founded the band with Ross in 2004, and frontman Brendon Urie will continue as Panic At The Disco. It also said that all touring and album plans for Panic will continue as previously announced.

Panic at the Disco is currently scheduled to open for No Doubt on August 8 in San Diego, and has U.S. dates with Blink-182 planned throughout August. source>>>

Infamous record label owner Allen Klein, who played a key role in the demise of the Beatles and also nabbed control of some of the Rolling Stones' best-known songs, died in New York on Saturday after a battle with Alzheimer's disease, a spokesman said. He was 77.

During a career spanning more than 50 years, the New Jersey-born accountant enjoyed a reputation as a savvy gangster-like figure. His ruthless business practices were reviled by many, but he also earned grudging respect for bullying labels into giving rich deals to his clients.

"Don't talk to me about ethics," he told Playboy magazine in 1971.

"Every man makes his own. It's like a war. You choose your side early and from then on, you're being shot at. The man you beat is likely to call you unethical. So what?"

It did not hurt his reputation when he was sentenced to two months in prison in 1979 for tax evasion.

He once said John Lennon hired him to protect his interest in the Beatles because he and wife Yoko Ono wanted "a real shark -- someone to keep the other sharks away."

His company, ABKCO Music & Records, is one of the biggest independent labels in an industry controlled by multinational corporations. The spokesman said it would remain family-controlled.

Two of Klein's three adult children work at the company, including son Jody who runs ABKCO. (The acronym stands for Allen and Betty Klein Co., Betty being his wife.)

Its assets include recordings by the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Herman's Hermits, Bobby Womack, the Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and many others.

The publishing arm boasts more than 2,000 copyrights including compositions by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Cooke, Womack, Ray Davies of the Kinks and Pete Townshend of the Who.

SAM COOKE TO BEATLES

Klein broke into the music business by auditing record labels on behalf of clients including Bobby Darin and Connie Francis. When he found they were owed royalties, he took half of the difference as a fee.

His first big management client was Sam Cooke, for whom he negotiated a lucrative recording deal in 1963 that gave the soul star unprecedented control over his own catalog.

Klein, who was already representing "British Invasion" artists such as the Animals, Dave Clark Five and Herman's Hermits, set his sights on the Rolling Stones, who were laboring under an onerous deal.

He renegotiated their pact in 1965, and ended up managing the group for about five years -- taking a 20 percent fee.

The Stones eventually tired of Klein. But the only way to break free of him was to give up the rights to their master recordings and rights to such timeless tunes as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

"In some ways Allen Klein was very much ahead of his time," Jagger said in the 1989 Stones documentary "25x5." "We lasted about three or four years with him, really, though the ramifications of that still continue to this day."

Richards was more philosophical, describing their experience with Klein as "the price of an education."

By then, Klein was focused on the ultimate prize, the Beatles. He offered his help to Lennon in early 1969, when the Fab Four's idealistic Apple Corps. label was fast draining the fractured group's coffers.

George Harrison and Ringo Starr also warmed to his pitch, but Paul McCartney was fiercely opposed. He preferred the expertise of his father-in-law, high-powered New York attorney Lee Eastman.

Amid a series of complex maneuverings that also have consequences to this day, Klein unsuccessfully tried to secure control of the Beatles' copyrights on behalf of the group. Michael Jackson ended up with the rights 16 years later.

Klein did score a rich recording deal for the Beatles, but relations within the group were past frayed, and it dissolved in 1970.

That year, Harrison "honored" Klein in a rough version of his song "Beware of Darkness" with the line "beware of ABKCO." "It might have ended up being prophetic. But at the time it was just a little joke," Harrison told Reuters in 2000.

Indeed, Harrison and Klein reunited in 1971 to put on the all-star Concert for Bangladesh shows at Madison Square Garden in New York. It took a decade for the funds to reach the refugees because of complex tax problems.

In addition to his children and wife, Klein is survived by his longtime girlfriend Iris Keitel, an ABKCO executive. His funeral will take place in New York on Tuesday. source>>>

On the first fully sun-soaked day of this year's Rothbury Festival, Bob Dylan sent fans home "Blowin' in the Wind" with a 90-minute, 17-song show to close out the festival's Odeum main stage.

For the fourth show of his U.S. tour promoting his latest album, "Together Through Life," Dylan and his band -- who are mostly playing minor league baseball stadiums with Willie Nelson (who also played Rothbury) and John Mellencamp -- offered up just one song from the set, "Jolene," instead dipping into his iconic catalog for a wealth of favorites such as "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," a slinky treatment of "Tangled Up In Blue," "Highway 61 Revisited," "Ballad of a Thin Man," "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again," "Like A Rolling Stone" and fierce "All Along The Watchtower."

Playing guitar on the night's first two songs and then switching to keyboards and/or harmonica for the rest, Dylan, sporting a dark suit and hat, also served up less well-known selections such as "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)," "Rollin' and Tumblin'," "Po' Boy," "Nettie Moore," "'Til I Fell in Love With You" and "Thunder on the Mountain." "Blowin' in the Wind" was added at the end, after the night's set list had already been determined. source>>>

The Browns celebrated the 50th anniversary of the release of their crossover hit, "The Three Bells," with performances Saturday night (July 4) at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ernest Tubb Record Shop's Midnite Jamboree. Cheering the brother and sisters trio on were more than 40 of their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews who came to Nashville from all over the nation to witness the occasion. Since officially disbanding as a singing group in 1967, Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie have performed together only rarely, although Jim Ed continues his career as a solo member of the Opry. Produced for RCA Records by Chet Atkins, "The Three Bells" was released on July 3, 1959 and went on to top the country chart for 10 weeks and the pop charts for four. It made the Browns international stars. source>>>

Hank Williams was lucky. That's a seemingly bizarre but logical argument that posits that his legacy was guaranteed by his early death while he was still at the top of his musical and songwriting powers. He was only 29 when he expired in the back seat of his Cadillac in 1953, and his music was still strong, vibrant and getting better by the year even as his personal life spiraled downward. What country patriarch Roy Acuff cynically termed Williams' "timely death" ensured his enshrinement as a music icon who was still on top of the country music world and would always be remembered that way.

Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson were not so lucky, in terms of their legacies. Both died very untimely deaths, legacy-wise. Both were well over the hill musically and both were striving for comebacks when they died -- Presley at 42, Jackson at 50. Both deaths were shrouded by mysteries and tawdry circumstances. And, indeed, as was Hank's.

Hank, Elvis and Michael were all in poor health, all prisoners of drugs and abetted by compliant, drug-dispensing doctors and dubious associates. None of them was ever comfortable with or fully cognizant of all the costly wages of huge superstardom and all that it demands. None was ever groomed in childhood or in any career development to understand the enormous personal sacrifices they would have to make to become a public star and persona whom millions of fans believed that they personally owned.

All three responded in what can be viewed, in retrospect, in very predictable manner, given their modest upbringings and surroundings. None ever ultimately succeeded in their personal struggles. Hank withdrew into a shadow world of alcohol and drugs. His marriage crumbled, and he entered into a bizarre public wedding (to his second wife, who was named Billie Jean) as two performances for which admission was charged. His career, which in those days relied on personal appearances, declined because of his drug-related problems, and he was trying to mount a comeback when he died. But his music, based as ever on total real life experience, had become almost surreally alive even as he began to step outside of his life.

Jackson's apogee was 1982's spectacular album, Thriller, which dramatically transformed the musical and the video and the video channel landscape. Ten years later, though, the world was changed. His Dangerous album was rudely replaced at No. 1 on the Billboard chart by Nirvana's Nevermind. Jackson's era vanished, and his world would never be the same again. His personal life became a cipher, and he withdrew into a personal wonderland.

Elvis was at his peak just as he entered the Army in 1958. When he returned, his manager pressed him into a lifetime of churning out mostly worthless movies that obviously began to drain his self-confidence. The largely mediocre recordings that followed seemed to drain the life out of him. His personal life suffered badly, his marriage did not survive and he became a bloated walking drugstore.

Why don't music stars know when to retire? Why do they desperately try to cling to stardom when the voice is shot and the music has faded? Unfortunately, there are some easy answers. Many artists, because of poor choices and trust in the wrong people, are in bad financial shape, if not in bad debt. They need to try to work forever. Many are so deluded from years of listening only to "yes" people that they believe that their talents are as sharp and in as much in demand as ever. Many have such strong egos that they cannot imagine ever walking away from fame and stardom and adulation.

Many have involuntary retirement forced upon them. Tragedy strikes in the form of death from drugs or alcohol or from car wrecks or plane crashes or -- in a case such as John Lennon's -- by a deranged stalker who imagines that fame makes him part of the star's world.

I cannot think of many country music stars who have willingly walked away from stardom when they were relatively healthy and when their music was still viable. One that I know who has, and whom I admire, is Carl Smith, who had a long, successful country music career and a happy personal life, then retired to his horse farm and is still doing well. He's a fortunate exception.

I can -- and so can you -- unfortunately come up with the names of many rock and country stars who died young or while trying to stay in the saddle. In country alone, they include Patsy Cline, Keith Whitley, Waylon Jennings, Hawkshaw Hawkins and many more.

In rock the list is long: John Lennon, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Keith Moon, Brian Jones, Mama Cass Elliot and many others.

The lessons for these would-be Gods? Don't be mortal.

arrie Underwood is the first country artist to take part in a public service campaign saluting teachers. Underwood is featured with three teachers -- her two sisters, Stephanie Shelton and Shanna Means, and their mother, Carole Underwood. The "Behind Every Famous Person Is a Fabulous Teacher" campaign pairs public figures with their favorite teachers. "Teaching was something that ran in my family," the singer said. "I have always admired my mother and sisters for making a difference in the lives of so many." source>>>

Billy Currington will take part in the CMA Songwriters Series on July 30 at Joe's Pub in New York City. The performance will be hosted by Bob DiPiero and will also feature Keith Follese and Jason Sellers. Tickets are $25. Currington has co-written several of his hit singles, including "I Got a Feeling," "Why, Why, Why" and "Walk a Little Straighter." Currington and Holly Williams perform Wednesday (July 8) in Green Bay, Wis., as part of Sugarland's tour. source>>>

Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic raised $550,000 for children with cancer and their families. Keith hosted the charitable event on behalf of the Ally's House organization on June 12-13 in Norman, Okla. Celebrity guests included comedian Rodney Carrington, gymnast Bart Conner, NASCAR driver Bobby Hillin Jr. and University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops. The organization is named for the late Allison Webb, the two-year-old daughte of Scott Webb, who was one of Keith's original band members. source>>>

Kyle Busch got what he deserved Saturday night in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, right?

Well, it's not quite that simple. Or at least it shouldn't be -- no matter where you stand on the Kyle Busch Love-or-Hate O-Meter.

Whether or not Busch "deserved" to get turned by race winner Tony Stewart with the checkered flag in sight is going to be a matter of great debate for days, weeks, maybe even months to come. For Busch, make that years to come.
Autostock
Coke Zero 400
Unofficial Results

Pos. Driver Make
1. Tony Stewart Chevrolet
2. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet
3. Denny Hamlin Toyota
4. Carl Edwards Ford
5. Kurt Busch Dodge
6. Marcos Ambrose Toyota
7. Brian Vickers Toyota
8. Matt Kenseth Ford
9. Juan Montoya Chevrolet
10. Elliott Sadler Dodge
- Results | Laps | Photos

There are sure to be two camps on this one -- those who feel Busch attempted to block the hard-charging Stewart once too often and a little too late, and those who feel the hard-charging Stewart was charging too hard, with little or no regard for Busch's safety and general well being.

The opinion here is that Stewart did nothing wrong and was racing for the victory, as he should have been. After Stewart took a look to the outside and was blocked once legitimately by Busch, Stewart put a second move on and clearly got his front bumper on the outside of Busch's right-rear bumper.

It's easy for a casual observer to say this -- and much harder to execute in a split second, obviously, for a driver hurtling toward the checkers at 180 or more mph -- but it was at that instant that Busch made the critical mistake of trying to place a second block on Stewart.

It was too late -- too late for Stewart to back out of the run he had on Busch, and too late for Busch to get over to effectively block him again. The end result was predictable.

Busch got turned and Stewart went on to win his second race of the season.

Calling it right

Making the call right in the TNT broadcast booth Saturday night was a Kyle by another name, as in Petty. Give him and color analyst partner Wally Dallenbach credit, too, for making the right determination in a split second -- or at least over several split seconds with the additional input of an all-important series of replays.

But they got it right when they absolved Stewart of any wrong-doing.

"Here's what happened, just like what we talked about at Talladega and have talked about before: block me once, that's OK; block me twice, you're going up into the grandstands or you're going into the wall," Petty said on the TNT race broadcast. "That's what happened. The 18 made two swipes at him -- one to the inside and one to the outside."
Page 1
Page 2

Both Petty and Dallenbach quickly agreed that Busch's first attempt to block Stewart was "fair." But once Stewart got his left-front bumper on the inside of Busch's right-rear, all bets were off.

"He had that one coming," Petty said of the race-winning boot that Stewart ultimately gave Busch. "When you cut back across the hood of somebody after you've blocked him once -- and Tony put the bumper on the outside of him, he was there -- that's what is going to happen."

It immediately caused flashbacks to what happened in April at Talladega, by no coincidence the last restrictor-plate race that had been run on a superspeedway this season. That was when rookie Brad Keselowski got a run on Carl Edwards and nearly sent Edwards' No. 99 Ford flying into the frontstretch grandstands.
Autostock
Final Laps

Tony Stewart spins Kyle Busch on the final lap, to set up a spectacular wreck, and win the Coke Zero 400.

* Watch video

If you will recall, Edwards quickly stated afterward the Keselowski had done nothing wrong.

"We saw this same thing at Talladega with the No. 09 car of Keselowski. He stuck his car in there and drove it, put it where it needed to be. And that's the way it was," Petty said Saturday.

Double-standard?

Busch did not appear to be in such a forgiving move toward Stewart following Saturday night's fracas. He reportedly headed straight from the remains of his smoking carcass of a car toward Victory Lane, where it seemed he wanted a word -- and not of a congratulatory nature -- with Stewart.

As much as an altercation between the two former Joe Gibbs Racing teammates in Victory Lane might have been entertaining to the masses, it was fortunate he got intercepted by some security types who instead directed him to get checked out at the infield care center.

In his own post-race news conference, Stewart admitted that the way he had won left a mildly bad taste in his mouth. But you'd better believe that not long after he left the media center, he quickly washed that out with a swig of champagne -- or more likely, since it was Stewart, a few large gulps of a Schlitz beer, followed by more Schlitz beers.

A win is a win is a win.

One more important thing for everyone to remember here is that in the wake of Saturday's incident, there can be no double standards. The next time Kyle Busch is in position to pull the same stunt to claim victory, he has every right to do so without everyone screaming that it's a foul play.

And maybe, just maybe, these guys will start realizing that as long as the rules remain the same for restrictor-plate races, the best move of all at the end of one of these crazy deals might be to give guys a little more room to genuinely race each other to the checkered flag -- instead of "mirror racing" and concentrating so much on blocking the guy behind that you end up essentially wrecking yourself.

That's probably the largest lesson there for the taking from Saturday night. But will anyone truly take note? source>>>

When do finishes like Saturday night's at Daytona International Speedway become unacceptable? At what point does a fan's need to be thrilled cross the line? What happens if the driver doesn't walk away?

Another restrictor-plate race and another breathtaking, relive-it-on-Youtube finish - this time with Kyle Busch as the stunt pilot. While fans marveled or shrieked as his car careened to the finish, the question needs to be addressed - Is this really necessary?

Saturday's finish marked the second consecutive restrictor-plate race that the leader wrecked within sight of the checkered flag. It also marked the fourth time since last season that a plate race ended with a multi-car crash.

TNT's broadcast Saturday showed spectators cheering as cars crashed, smoke and debris trailing like a comet's tail. If fans want that, then just turn the races into thrill shows and eliminate any illusion that this is a sport.

Once the cars stopped ricocheting off each other at the end, it was hard not to recall the words of Carl Edwards, who had a similar acrobatic trip at the finish of this spring's Talladega race.

"They put us in this box," Edwards said then of NASCAR's rules at Talladega and Daytona, "and we'll just race like this until we kill somebody and then they'll change it."

Busch and others walked away this time. Credit the NASCAR's safety improvements and some luck.

The chaos Saturday started when Tony Stewart, hounding Busch on the final lap, looked for an opening. Stewart moved low. Busch blocked. Stewart went high. Busch tried to block but was too late.

They hit.

Busch's car spun in front of Stewart and slammed the wall on the driver's side. Kasey Kahne then plowed into the rear of Busch's car, lifting the rear wheels at least 5 feet off the ground. Teammate Joey Logano then barreled into the side of Busch's car.

Although Stewart won, retained his spot atop the points and reaffirmed his role as title contender, he admitted this victory gave him little gratification.

"You just don't want a race to be decided by this," said Stewart, in a quiet, calm voice.

"It's nobody's fault. It's just racing. It's a product of the environment."

Stewart's right.

It's the same environment that led to Edwards' car flying into the fence at Talladega this spring and injuring seven fans.

Edwards led when he went to block Brad Keselowski on the low side but Keselowski's front bumper was inside Edwards's car. They hit, Edwards spun and then catapulted off Ryan Newman's car into the fence as Keselowski won.

One can trace these incidents to last fall's Talladega race where Regan Smith went below the yellow line at the bottom of the track after Stewart blocked him and passed Stewart, taking the checkered flag first.

Smith said he didn't want to wreck Stewart. NASCAR penalized Smith, gave Stewart the win and all but encouraged drivers the way to win was through contact.

That such dangerous finishes are becoming more common only adds evidence to a need for change.

It's not that NASCAR hasn't tried. Restrictor plates, which reduce horsepower and bunch the field together, was used as a remedy after Bobby Allison's car went into the fence at Talladega in 1987 and fans were injured.

Yet, just as NASCAR made the current car a priority and put a tremendous amount of resources into it, series officials need to show the same energy toward finding a solution to restrictor plate racing.

One thing NASCAR can do now is play a greater role in officiating the races. NASCAR should state that a driver can make one move to block a competitor but if he makes two or more successive attempts to block, he'll be penalized. source>>>

NASCAR has asked a federal judge to reverse his ruling and keep driver Jeremy Mayfield off the track.

NASCAR filed the motion asking U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen to reinstate Mayfield's ban. He was suspended May 9 after failing a random drug test, and NASCAR said he tested positive for methamphetamine.

The latest twist comes after Mullen's decision last week to grant an injunction clearing him to compete. Mullen said the chance of a false positive on his drug test was "quite substantial."

NASCAR disputes Mullen's conclusion, and says Mayfield poses a threat to public safety. NASCAR also filed a notice saying it plans to bring the case before a federal appeals court. source>>>

- Jeremy and Shana Mayfield issued a statement to fans, competitors and the media on Saturday and also reconfirmed their resolve to rejoin the Sprint Cup Series with Mayfield Motorsports, possibly as early as next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

Mayfield successfully received a temporary injunction this week in federal court in North Carolina immediately releasing him from NASCAR's suspension from his owner and driver's role with his team on May 9 for a positive drug test.
AP
Mayfield speaks out

Jeremy Mayfield describes his fight against suspension: "To say that the last two months have been two of the worst months of my entire life is an understatement."

* Letter from the Mayfields

Mayfield Motorsports' No. 41 Toyota hasn't been on the race track since the May 24 Coca-Cola 600. One week after that race, the Mayfields were forced to lay off their team members, including crew chief Tony Furr. Gaining sponsorship money to revive the team is their primary goal.

"Last Wednesday's ruling by Judge Mullen was a giant step towards clearing my name and getting the 41 car back on the track," Mayfield said in his statement. "Our hope was to bring our team to Daytona this weekend to qualify and race in the Coke Zero 400. For those who know me well, there is nothing in the world that I would rather do than race for you all on the 4th of July.

"Following Judge Mullen's ruling, we had less than [24] hours to prepare the car, assemble a team, get sponsorship and travel to Daytona. Ultimately, we were unable to get this done in time. We decided that our time is best spent back here in North Carolina working around the clock to try and secure the funding needed to get the 41 car to Chicago and beyond."

Furr, who was at Daytona International Speedway this weekend working as a consultant with owner Larry Gunselman's Sprint Cup team -- which was sent home Friday when qualifying was rained out -- said he had a meeting set with Mayfield for Monday and that he saw no problem being ready for Chicagoland or anywhere else.

"I want to figure out what he wants to do, because all the stuff is still there at the shop," Furr said. "We're a day-and-a-half away from having [a car] ready to go to wherever. The full crew worked for a week after the Charlotte 600 -- everyone worked together and left together."

Furr said the shop that Mayfield Motorsports had been using was owned by he and Cecil Tipton and that they'd continued to work there, bringing in Gunselman Motorsports as a tenant to create some income.

"Myself and Cecil have been there ever since it all shut down," Furr said. "And we're trying to make a deal for ourselves, so we can get a paycheck, because our [Mayfield Motorsports] paychecks stopped when everyone else's did, too. Larry had some good guys who were already there and we're just trying to help 'em get to the next level."

Furr said he'd continued to speak to his former Mayfield Motorsports co-workers and that getting them back together wouldn't be difficult.

"I could have a team in place in less than an hour," Furr said. "There are a lot of people out on the street right now and most of the guys that were there to start with will come back -- I've talked to every one of them and been in touch with them since this [judge's] ruling.

"Most of them don't have a job but the ones that do have a job can stay where they're at or whatever they want to do. But they'd all have an opportunity to come back if they wanted to."

Earlier in the weekend, when speculation was rampant about when Mayfield would appear on a track, veteran Mark Martin said he was comfortable with competing with Mayfield, who's raced Martin in the Cup Series since 1993.

"I'm comfortable with being on the race track with Jeremy Mayfield -- 100 percent," Martin said. "I feel that NASCAR needs to have the authority to say whether or not that you drive -- I don't know anything about judges -- I'm just not concerned with being on the race track with Jeremy, none whatsoever. I feel 100 percent confident being on the race track side-by-side with Jeremy."

Ryan Newman, who joined Penske Racing full-time in 2002 after Mayfield split with Roger Penske's organization, on Thursday when virtually every driver was asked to opine on the subject, provided a counterpoint to Martin's opinion.

"The situation that we had when somebody tests positive is something to be seriously considered and there is a lot of responsibility that goes along with that," Newman said. "As a federal judge when you release somebody to go back and [race] without necessarily, in my eyes, clarifying everything -- that's not cool. People make mistakes. I just hope the judge didn't make one.

"I would say that if my car was starting next to [Mayfield's] I would wonder about the first lap. If I was in a position where I was racing him I would potentially question that judgment, but I don't know how to actually do that until that happens. Race car drivers drive by the seat of their pants and you don't think about things [that] may happen, you think about things as they are going to happen, I guess you could say."

NASCAR on Saturday declined to comment further after the Mayfields' statement, deferring to comments made by NASCAR chairman Brian France, who said "Jeremy obviously was reinstated as a result of that [federal court] ruling, and that's where we are today. We are reviewing all of the options, and there are many. And we remain very comfortable and very calm about, despite the ruling, that our policy is thorough, it's accurate and it's fair."

Another hurdle the Mayfields must overcome is a suit filed last month by Triad Racing Technologies, an engine, chassis and parts supplier owned by Marty Gaunt and Mike Held, who sued in North Carolina Superior Court over an unpaid bill reportedly totaling more than $86,000.

"We like Jeremy Mayfield -- Marty and I have both had relationships with Jeremy over the years," Held said on Saturday evening an hour before the Coke Zero 400's green flag. "The issue is, he has a bill to pay. We don't hold anything against him, just pay the bill.

"We spent some time helping Jeremy out and helping him get his team ready for Daytona [Speedweeks 2009] and we just expect him to honor the bill."

Mayfield finally apologized for having an impact on the Daytona weekend outside the race track.

"Honestly, this is the last thing Shana or I want for anybody," Mayfield said. "This weekend shouldn't be about a questionable drug test or a flawed drug testing system. It should be about celebrating our country, the greatest country in the world.

"So, enjoy the weekend with your friends and family, and have a very happy Independence Day. We look forward to seeing you all at the track very soon. source>>>

A huge fireworks show shot off from the Daytona backstretch moments after the true pyrotechnics took place on the track's front stretch.

Tony Stewart, passed on the second-to-last lap of the race, charged back on the final lap of the Coke Zero 400, smacking into Kyle Busch as he barreled to the finish line, sending Busch into an uncontrolled spin.

Stewart zipped past to roll under the checkered flag as bedlam broke out behind him, winning the race as cars went spinning through the grass and along the wall.

Busch tried to block Stewart after taking the lead on Lap 158, and was doing a good job. Busch held the lead coming down the stretch, but when he went low, Stewart went high and made contact, sending Busch spinning into the wall. Busch ended up riding the wall before coming on top of Kasey Kahne's car just past the finish line.

Stewart said he didn't want to hit Busch, but didn't have much choice.

''I don't know if I was real proud of that, but I don't know what else I could do,'' said Stewart, who won the race from the pole. ``I went where I had to go, he went where he had to go. He helped me the whole race, so you hate to see him get wrecked like that.

``He went to block us and we were already there. That doesn't mean you like it. You don't want to see him wreck, want him to finish good. But we weren't going to give it to him. If I did something wrong, I'm sorry. That's not the way you want to win these things.''

Stewart's car was strong all night, as he led throughout the latter portions of the race. Stewart, who now has three Cup wins at Daytona -- all coming in the July race -- didn't have a bad pit stop as his crew helped him win all seven of his stops.

Jimmie Johnson ended up finishing second, with Denny Hamlin taking third.

''These guys [on the crew] did an awesome job,'' Stewart said. ``They had awesome stops all night long.''

Stewart, who led for 86 of the 160 laps, was leading a four-car pack consisting of Busch, Hamlin and Johnson down the stretch.

On the next-to-last lap, Busch went up against the wall on the front stretch and took the lead as the white flag came out. It was a lead that wouldn't hold up, as Stewart bulled his way through. Busch, because of the crash, ended up finishing 14th. He was taken to the infield care center after coming out of his window, with his brother Kurt saying he was OK.

Kyle Busch declined to comment to TV reporters from TNT after the race. Jeff Burton made a challenge late in the race, pulling in front of the field on Lap 127. Just two laps later, Burton was out of contention after making slight contact, losing tire pressure as a result and being forced to pit on green to change it. That put him back at the end of the field -- 28th at the time -- a lap back. Burton got back on the lead lap on the caution that happened on Lap 145.

''One bad set of tires,'' Burton told his crew, ``ruined the whole day.''

There was a 13-car incident just after the midway point of the race, with those involved all but knocked out of contention after sustaining body damage. One of those drivers was Jeff Gordon, who started the race on the front row alongside pole-sitter Stewart.

Gordon came into the pits a number of times after the wreck to get things banged out as he sustained damage to the right front; Gordon ended up 28th. Ryan Newman, who started seventh, was also effected and finished 19th.

The crash started on Lap 77 when David Stremme was tapped by Kasey Kahne in heavy traffic along the wall and spun out, smashing into Kahne as he tried to power his way past. When Stremme hit Kahne, the two caromed through traffic and set off a chain of events in which more than a dozen cars went smoking down the stretch as they tried to reel things in.

The struggling Dale Earnhardt Jr. was knocked out in the melee, his car hitting David Reutimann hard and stripping off some of Reutimann's sheet metal in the process. Earnhardt, who came into the race ranked 19th in the season standings, complained of handling problems early on but said his team seemingly had straightened things out.

''We just got it driving good and had it freed up,'' Earnhardt said after being knocked out because of contact for the second night in a row. He completed 58 laps in Friday's Nationwide race. ``It's a tough race for us.'' source>>>

And you thought last year's Wimbledon final was exciting?

A year removed from one of the most dramatic losses of his career, Roger Federer redeemed himself Sunday on Centre Court, staving off resilient American Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14 in the longest Grand Slam final in history.

The 77 games topped the 71 games played in the 1927 Australian Open, and the 30-game fifth set was the longest fifth set in history, eclipsing the 20 games played at the 1927 French Open final.

Roddick stood between Federer and a record 15th Grand Slam title, and he delayed the crowning achievement as long as he could with his booming serves, masterful shot-making and sheer will. Like two prizefighters, the former world No. 1s duked it out for four 4 hours 16 minutes. The fifth set stretched 95 minutes before Roddick blinked. He hit an errant forehand, sealing the win for Federer.

It was Federer's sixth Wimbledon title (the third at Roddick's expense), and on Monday he will reclaim the No. 1 world ranking from Rafael Nadal, who took it from him last summer after beating him in a Wimbledon final that ended with a 9-7 fifth set as darkness set in. At the time, fans thought they wouldn't see another match like that for many years.

They were wrong.

Even before the first ball was struck, there was a sense something big was about to happen. Pete Sampras, whose record Federer broke, had not been to the All England Lawn Tennis Club since he last played here in 2002, and he took an overnight flight from Los Angeles for a front-row seat. Beside him were legends Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg.

Elsewhere in the audience: Henry Kissinger, Woody Allen and Russell Crowe.

As the two finalists walked onto the court, their contrast in styles was striking. Federer wore a white blazer and white slacks with gold trim. Roddick wore a nondescript tennis shirt and shorts, a ball cap and a blue rubber bracelet. Federer took a long stare at the champions' board. Roddick stared straight ahead.

RODDICK IS GAME

Roddick was the heavy underdog, but it was clear right away that he was undaunted by the occasion. He had lost back-to-back Wimbledon finals to Federer in 2004 and 2005, and he wanted this one desperately. Roddick, 26, has won only one Grand Slam title -- the 2003 U.S. Open -- and he was determined to prove he is not a one-hit wonder.

In the opening game, he launched serves of 135 mph, 136 mph and 137 mph. He saved four break points to take a 6-5 lead in the first set and broke Federer the next game to take a one-set lead.

The American had four chances to win the second set in the tiebreaker, but he failed to capitalize. The most glaring error was a high backhand volley on the fourth set point that sailed sideways off the frame of his racket. It is a shot that might give Roddick nightmares for quite a while.

''There was a pretty significant wind behind [Federer] on that side, and it was gusting pretty good at that time,'' Roddick said. ``When he first hit it, I thought I wasn't going to play it. Last minute, it looked like it started dropping. I couldn't get my racket around it. I don't know if it would have dropped or not.''

In the past, he would have imploded at that moment, would have let that shanked volley creep into his mind well into the next set. But this is a new-and-improved Roddick, a calmer, more thoughtful Roddick on and off the court.

''At that point, there's two options: You lay down, or you keep going,'' he said. ``The second option sounded better to me.''

Roddick gave Federer all he could handle, but Federer never cracked. He served a career-high 50 aces to Roddick's 27, and he had 107 winners compared with 38 unforced errors. In the end, he was just a little better.

THE DUST SETTLES

That the match was thrilling for fans made the loss no less painful for Roddick. He sat slumped in his courtside chair as the crowd, feeling his pain, chanted his name. He was near tears, but still did his on-court interview.

''I just want to say congratulations to Roger. He's a true champion and deserves everything he gets,'' Roddick said. ``I tried. Sorry, Pete. I tried to hold him off. It was a pleasure playing here [Sunday] in front of champions like Manolo [Santana], [Bjorn] Borg, Rod Laver, Pete.''

After pausing to compose himself, Roddick continued to say: ``I still hope one day my name will be up there with theirs as a champion of this tournament.''

Federer, meanwhile, was jubilant. The expectant father cradled his trophy like a newborn baby.

''That was a crazy match with an unbelievable ending, and my head is still spinning,'' Federer said, wearing a custom-made jacket with a gold No. 15 emblazoned on the back. ``I'm happy I broke the record here, because this is always the tournament that's meant the most to me. Andy played unbelievable. Sports is cruel sometimes.''

With the 15th Grand Slam title, Federer will be considered by many to be the best player of all time. Sampras said, ''In my book, he is.'' Laver called Federer ``the greatest player of his era.''

Federer said he was humbled seeing all the former greats watching him from the Royal Box. When Sampras and his wife arrived fashionably late after the third game, Federer gave him a nod.

''I know how much the record meant to Pete, and I know how much it means to me, and in a way I still feel like we share it because he's such a wonderful champion,'' Federer said. ``It's nice that he is showing appreciation for what I'm doing.''

Underneath Federer's jacket was a T-shirt that read: ``There is no finish line. Far from done.''

Not the words Roddick wants to hear. source>>>

The way professional golf is played may have changed for good after the U.S. PGA Tour decided to go along with a new rule that amounts to a rollback of golf technology, a move that world number one Tiger Woods has endorsed.

The rule, implemented by the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) and Royal and Ancient Golf Club (RA), means that from the start of 2010 the U-shaped grooves on wedges will be banned in favor of V-shaped grooves, with the intention of rewarding accurate driving over distance hitting.

Research by the USGA has shown that U-shaped grooves allow top players to generate much more spin when playing the ball out of the rough, making the ball come to a quick stop on the green.

The USGA and RA felt this meant that landing in the rough was no longer enough of a penalty for shots that strayed from the fairway. In recent years pro golfers have begun to drive for distance rather than accuracy, knowing they can spin their way out of the rough if they miss their target -- a style of play known as "bomb and gouge."

Despite pressure from some players and golf equipment manufacturers, the U.S. PGA Tour has decided to go along with the rule change, meaning U.S. PGA Tour competitions, including the U.S. Open, will feature the club restriction from next year.

Amateur competitions will not ditch the U-shaped grooves until 2014 and the new rule will not apply to recreational players until 2024.

Gareth Taylor, Product Manager at leading golf club manufacturer Callaway, told CNN he believes the change will reward more skilful players.
Don't Miss

* Harrington tries Happy drive
* Six countries bid for Ryder Cup
* Glover wins U.S. Open

"At the moment players are getting a lot of spin on the ball so I think it will make people play better," he said.

"They'll have to get their technique finely tuned and not rely on the club."

He says club makers have been given ample notice to prepare for the switch. "I don't think the change is a regression, it just means research and development will have to come up with better ideas to help the players out."

Taylor explained that as a golfer strikes the ball the grooves on the club face catch the coating on the ball's surface, producing back spin.

He said that the rule change applies to five irons and up and requires the grooves on the club face to be more spaced out, which will make it harder for the grooves to catch the ball.

Tiger Woods has supported the changes, saying: "I think it's great. We've had plenty of time to make our adjustments. All the companies have been testing and getting ready for this."

To compensate for the loss of spin from the rough, tour players may use softer balls, which spin more but do not travel as far. That could favor players who already use the softer ball -- including Tiger Woods. source>>>