Mayfield to sue NASCAR?
05/20/09 NASCAR driver/owner #41-Jeremy Mayfield, suspended indefinitely from the sport for violating its substance-abuse policy, has retained legal counsel in the effort to clear his name. Bill Diehl, the same attorney who represented Elliott Sadler last winter in a dispute with Richard Petty Motorsports, confirmed Wednesday he is working with Mayfield, but that no suit has yet been filed. "Yes, we're working hard for Jeremy," Diehl said. "Either we'll work it out or the court will. We have not filed yet, but we're working hard. That's all I can tell you." NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston confirmed that Diehl had been in contact with the organization. "I can confirm that Mr. Diehl has been in touch with NASCAR, and we've provided him with relevant information pertaining to Jeremy's suspension, including the toxicology report," Poston said. Mayfield was not immediately available for comment. ESPN
05/17/09 Suspended owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield on Saturday night was asked to leave the infield area of Lowe’s Motor Speedway by NASCAR officials. Mayfield left without incident.
05/16/09 "All I can say is you can see I'm alive, well and healthy. I'm fine," Mayfield said. "I'm here to watch my car run. I appreciate what y'all [in the media] have done because y'all are asking the right questions to the right sources and getting the same results. … They've indicated something different every day of the week. That's what I've heard. I've heard the same stories y'all have heard. I really don't want to say a whole lot to stir anything up."
Mayfield indicated that he is exasperated by what he said was the lack of information he has received about his positive test results.
"If any of you guys were in my shoes, wouldn't you want to know your results of what happened? I've got nothing from them. I got reinstatement papers, that's it. I'd like to see results and I don't have them," Mayfield said.
Mayfield insisted — again — that he took a prescription drug and that his allergies flared up so badly during the recent Richmond race weekend that he mixed over-the-counter medicine with it. He said the over-the-counter medicine consisted of two Claritin D pills.
"That's the honest-to-God truth," Mayfield said.
Mayfield had earlier made that same assertion that a combination of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicine had triggered his positive test and it was roundly rejected as implausible by NASCAR.
Mayfield added that he respects NASCAR for what they are trying to accomplish with their new, tougher drug policy. But in this case, he said he doesn't feel like he has been able to fairly explain his position — and thus he feels as if he is being unfairly labeled as some kind of drug abuser.
"I understand their test policy; I understand what they're trying to do. I just wish that I had a little bit of consideration to explain what my side was," he said.
Mayfield said he would move as quickly as possible to get reinstated as owner and driver. He also strongly denied that he has taken illegal drugs of any kind.
"Yeah, I'm denying it. Illegal drugs? Yeah, definitely," Mayfield said. "I swear I can't tell you anymore … all I want to do is race and be treated fairly.
"Here I am, trying to do the best I can. … I'm labeled now. The damage is done. It's huge. My family, my friends, everybody that knows me knows better. It's a huge deal, and it's been frustrating. I'd like to have been back in the car this week. All I want to do is work with them. I'll work with them any way they want. They can drug test [me] any day they want. I'll go for it."
Mayfield added that he has no intention of attending any kind of drug rehabilitation counseling.
"I'm not going to rehabilitation. Why would I?" he said. "Would you go to rehab if you didn't have a problem?" NASCAR.com
05/16/09 Jeremy Mayfield denied he used illegal drugs, won't go to rehabilitation and will consider legal action to rescind his indefinite suspension. In an interview from the infield of Lowe's Motor Speedway Saturday night, the Sprint Cup driver claimed NASCAR hasn't told him what he tested positive for, leading to his suspension last weekend.
In a brief interview, Mayfield said he took a legal prescription drug to treat allergies, but wouldn't name the drug. Daytona Beach News Journal/AP