
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 23, 1994                   TAG: 9407230038
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

TEAMS BATTLE OVER DRIVER

NASCAR team owner Cale Yarborough said Friday that Jeremy Mayfield didn't sign a contract with a Virginia racing team before starting to drive for him.

Taylor Performance Racing Inc. of Petersburg filed a lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Richmond against Mayfield, Yarborough and Cale Yarborough Motorsports Inc. of Charlotte, N.C.

The suit alleges that Mayfield signed a contract with Taylor Performance Racing in June to drive in NASCAR-sanctioned events until Dec. 31, 1997. Mayfield also received a $10,000 signing bonus, according to the suit.

It seeks an injunction to block Mayfield from racing for Yarborough, plus unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

"I can tell you for a fact that he has not signed a contract with them," Yarborough said in a telephone interview. Yarborough said the money described in the lawsuit as a signing bonus was actually an advance on Mayfield's salary.

Yarborough said Mayfield has not signed a contract with his team, although they have talked about a deal. He said Mayfield would be driving for him this weekend at Talladega, Ala.

Mayfield moved to Yarborough's team after the firing of Derrike Cope. Yarborough fired Cope after he crashed July 10 at Loudon, N.H.

- Associated Press

Keywords:
AUTO RACING

by CNB