NASCAR: Mayfield again tests positive for meth

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.”