Mayfield again tests positive for meth
July 15, 2009
NASCAR said Jeremy Mayfield once again tested positive for methamphetamine and asked the federal judge who lifted the driver's drug suspension to reinstate the ban.
The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday that included an affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother, who claimed she personally witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years.
``Because Mr. Mayfield's repeated and confirmed use of methamphetamine violates NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy, and because NASCAR must be permitted to protect the safety of its drivers, crews, and fans, as well as the integrity of the sport, defendants respectfully request that the court ... reinstate NASCAR's suspension of Mr. Mayfield,'' NASCAR wrote in its filing.
Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test conducted eight days earlier. NASCAR later said he tested positive for methamphetamines, but Mayfield has denied ever using the illegal drug.
He sued, and U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen issued an injunction July 1 that allowed Mayfield to return to competition.
Mullen based his decision on Mayfield's argument that the testing system is flawed and there was a reasonable likelihood of a false positive. He also gave NASCAR the right to test Mayfield at any time.
NASCAR did just that July 6 at Mayfield's home and said in its filings that the ``A'' sample had levels of methamphetamine consistent with habitual users who consume high doses.
The filing also claims Mayfield and his attorneys have failed to select a qualified laboratory to test the backup ``B'' sample.
But more damaging is an affidavit from Lisa Mayfield, who said she married Mayfield's father in a 2003 ceremony immediately following Mayfield's marriage to his wife, Shana.
Lisa Mayfield said she first saw the driver use meth in 1998 at a race shop in Mooresville, N.C. She said Mayfield cooked his own drugs until the ingredient pseudoephedrine was taken off the shelves and it became too difficult for Mayfield to obtain the ingredients.
She said her stepson then began to purchase meth from others.
``Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often,'' she said in her affidavit. ``I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it. I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others.''
Lisa Mayfield said the driver told her he used meth before a season-ending NASCAR awards ceremony while driving for Ray Evernham. She also said Mayfield used meth during a 1999 trip to Myrtle Beach that preceded a race at nearby Darlington Raceway.
``We left Myrtle Beach and traveled to Darlington for the race,'' she wrote. ``I saw Jeremy using methamphetamine again when we reached Darlington.''
Last Mayfield employee resigns
July 15, 2009
The last remaining employee at Jeremy Mayfield's race team said Wednesday he resigned because he doesn't believe Mayfield Motorsports will return to the track.
Bobby Wooten, general manager of the first-year team, said his resignation had nothing to do with Mayfield's ongoing battle with NASCAR over a failed drug test. Mayfield was suspended May 9 for testing positive for what NASCAR said was methamphetamines.
A federal judge lifted the suspension earlier this month, but Mayfield did not return to the track in the two races since his reinstatement.
Mayfield has denied ever using the illegal drug and blamed his positive test on the combined use of Adderall for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Claritin-D for allergies.
``I think Jeremy is telling the truth. I back him 110 percent,'' Wooten told The Associated Press. ``I don't believe Jeremy is a drug addict. I do believe he could have taken one too many over-the-counter drugs, and now this situation has popped up.''
Wooten, who spent nine years as a police officer in North Carolina, said he knows from his time on the job that drug users are capable of hiding the abuse and fooling those around them. But he said since his February hiring, he never suspected Mayfield of being under the influence of an illegal drug.
He testified to that in a sworn affidavit that U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen took in to consideration when he lifted Mayfield's suspension.
``I have never seen Jeremy under that pretense,'' Wooten said. ``And he was around us four and five days a week, 12 hours a day. Typically, if you are an abuser of this particular drug, you can't go without it for that long of a time. I did not ever see that in Jeremy.''
Wooten said he stuck by Mayfield because he believed the failed drug test would be resolved and they would eventually get the team back on track. He said in conversations with Mayfield, it did not seem as if the owner had any interest in getting Mayfield Motorsports back up and running.
``Basically, Jeremy just wanted to go in a different direction than I wanted to do,'' he said of his Monday resignation. ``There are cars ready to go to the race track; all we needed was five or six days to get everything back up and running. But I believe what Jeremy is attempting to do is to just totally get rid of Mayfield Motorsports, that's his intention.''
Ownership of the No. 41 was transferred to Shana Mayfield after her husband's suspension, and she told The AP last week the couple is considering selling the team.
``He's got six completed race cars, equipment, a tractor trailer - assets to sell,'' Wooten said.