Latest on Mayfield vs. NASCAR lawsuit

U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen says the battle between Jeremy Mayfield and NASCAR over access to the suspended driver's medical records will have to wait until he can resolve jurisdictional issues, but in the meantime, Mayfield says life remains "as good as it can be." During a 15-minute court hearing Thursday, Mullen said he expects NASCAR Chairman Brian France will have to testify before him over whether his residence for jurisdictional purposes is North Carolina or Florida. If Mullen determines that France is a resident of North Carolina, he could rule that North Carolina Superior Court has jurisdiction and not federal court. "Until that's resolved, anything the court does is subject to review later if the court doesn't have jurisdiction," Mullen said during the hearing. Mayfield attorney Daniel Marino declined to comment on the issues afterward, and Mayfield wouldn't talk about the specifics of the case. Mayfield contends that a May 1 drug test that NASCAR says showed positive readings for methamphetamines resulted from his taking a prescription drug to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and an over-the-counter allergy medicine. He also questions the procedures NASCAR used in determining the results. "I've just been trying to survive, just like anybody else," said Mayfield, who has had an auction on his property in November to help raise money. "We haven't sold our house so far [at auction]. It remains as good as it can be."

Drug Policy changes? "Everyone wants to resolve litigation as soon as possible," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "We will continue to work with the other side, make our case and hope we can expedite this as quickly as possible." Poston also said it is possible that there could be some changes to NASCAR's substance-abuse policy this season. "Any of those changes, if we have any, we'll announce those as the new season begins," Poston said. "This is the part of the season where we're finalizing our [policies]. & We will always update policies and procedures any time there is an opportunity to improve them. I don't think you're going to see anything radical." SceneDaily