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NASCAR says Mayfield tested positive again

NASCAR says Mayfield tested positive again

NASCAR says Mayfield tested positive again

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - NASCAR contends driver Jeremy Mayfield has tested positive again for methamphetamine, and that his drug use goes back more than a decade.

In a filing before the U.S. District Court in Charlotte, NASCAR says the failed drug test, which took place on July 6, means its suspension that was initially lifted, should be reinstated and that Mayfield shouldn't be allowed to race.

Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine during a random drug test in May and was suspended by NASCAR, but U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen noted the likelihood of a false positive in issuing a temporary injunction on July 1.

In the new filing on Wednesday, NASCAR cited an affidavit of Lisa Mayfield, the driver's stepmother. She claims she first saw her stepson using methamphetamine in 1998 at his shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. She says the driver used meth at least 30 times during a seven-year period.

"Jeremy cooked some of his own methamphetamine in his shop by the house until the stores took pseudoephedrine off the shelves," Lisa Mayfield said in the court document. "In addition to making methamphetamine for his own use, I am aware that Jeremy has bought methamphetamine from others."

Lisa Mayfield added that her stepson used methamphetamine often between 1998 and 2005.

"I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it," she said in the affidavit. "I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the seven years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others.

"Jeremy told me that he did methamphetamine before the awards ceremony when he drove for Ray Evernham."

Lisa Mayfield also said in 1999 she and her family took a trip to Myrtle Beach the week before a race at Darlington and saw Jeremy use methamphetamine in Myrtle Beach. She said she saw Mayfield use meth again when the family got to Darlington.

In the court filing, NASCAR said on July 6 a representative from Aegis Sciences Corp. contacted Mayfield and asked him to report to a testing facility within two hours for an observed test. Mayfield never showed, claiming he got "lost" within a five-mile radius for nearly two hours, according to the court documents. NASCAR then tested Mayfield at his home around 8:15 p.m., about seven hours after he was first notified to report for testing.

NASCAR said that although Mayfield represented in court in May that his positive meth test result came from his use of Adderall, which is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the allergy medication Claritin D, the latest positive test for Sample A test excludes this possibility.

"These tests confirm that there was, and is no confusion: Jeremy Mayfield used methamphetamine," the court document read.

"Mr. Mayfield's urine sample provided on July 6, 2009 was 'very dilute,' which likely indicates an excessive consumption of water 'in an effort to defeat a drug test,'" the document said. "Mr. Mayfield's efforts to evade the drug test for seven hours after he was first notified that he would be tested strongly suggest that he was aware that he had methamphetamine in his system. The levels of methamphetamine detected in Mr. Mayfield's samples are consistent with levels reported in peer-reviewed scientific literature for habitual users who develop a tolerance, consume high doses of methamphetamine, and are subsequently detected through random testing without displaying obvious signs of their drug use."

NASCAR said Sample B remains sealed an available for testing by another lab. NASCAR noted it offered Mayfield the chance to have Sample B tested at an approved facility of his choosing.

In another development, Bobby Wooten, the general manager and last remaining employee of Mayfield's race team, resigned on Wednesday.