Jeremy Mayfield Suspended Indefinitely ... Failed Drug Test!!!

[Dirty]

First driver to ever be suspended because of failed drug test... just heard it on the news

[Dirty]

Mayfield failed Richmond drug test



DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Sprint Cup driver/owner Jeremy Mayfield was suspended indefinitely on Saturday from all NASCAR sanctioned events after failing the substance abuse policy.
He is the first Cup driver to be suspended under the policy.
"As both a team owner and a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, I have immense respect for the enforcement policies NASCAR has in place. In my case, I believe that the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine reacted together and resulted in a positive drug test. My doctor and I are working with both Dr. [David] Black [NASCAR's substance abuse policy administrator] and NASCAR to resolve this matter."

McGee: A Bold Statement

Zero tolerance. That's the message NASCAR boldly delivered Saturday at Darlington with the announcement that Jeremy Mayfield had been suspended indefinitely for failing a drug test, writes Ryan McGee. Story


"Mayfield Motorsports remains committed to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the organization will announce an interim owner and a temporary replacement driver early next week. Those roles will commence immediately beginning with next week's Sprint Open and continuing through Charlotte and beyond."
NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said alcohol was not involved in Mayfield's positive test. There were concerns around the garage that it came from Claritin D, an over the counter drug used for allergies.
Black said Claritin D is among the substances tested for, but he would not confirm whether that was drug Mayfield used.
"I will say we have a threshold from something like Claritin D, so it's a drug of concern," Black said. "It could be that if an individual used Claritin D to excess that would be reason for action."

“ As both a team owner and a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, I have immense respect for the enforcement policies NASCAR has in place. In my case, I believe that the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine reacted together and resulted in a positive drug test.
” -- Jeremy Mayfield, in a statement

Black said Claritin D can cause everything from a high heart rate to anxiety to a drastic change in body temperature.
"That would not be good for anybody driving," he said.
Mayfield, who did not qualify for Saturday night's Cup race at Darlington Raceway, received a positive random test last weekend at Richmond International Raceway.
He also failed a subsequent second test from the same sample. The results of that test were given to the governing body at noon and announced at a 6 p.m. press conference.
There is no appeal process.
Also, crew member Tony Martin of the No. 34 car that Tony Raines will drive on Saturday and Ben Williams with the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Nationwide team were suspended.
For Mayfield to return to the sport he will have to follow a program determined by Black. Black said the program would included extensive and intensive tests from a health care professional that could be "many, many months of participation in a treatment program.'"
"It's going to be a period of time," he said. "It's not going to be very fast."

More On Mayfield

• Jeremy Mayfield has won five Sprint Cup races in 433 career starts.
• Mayfield's most most recent victory came in 2005 at Michigan while driving he was for Dodge.
• This season Mayfield formed his own team, Mayfield Motorsports, and had qualified for five races, including the Daytona 500.
• Mayfield was 44th in Sprint Cup standings heading into Saturday's race at Darlington.
-- ESPN research


Mayfield started a new team this season when he could not get a ride. He was 44th in points, having qualified for five of the first 11 races.
Hunter said the suspension includes Mayfield as an owner as well as a driver. If he wants to put another driver in the No. 41 car he would have to step aside as the owner.
"His team could be operated by someone else," Hunter said. "But Jeremy will not be allowed to compete."
Mayfield has five Cup wins since coming into the top series in 1993. He finished 10th and ninth in the standings for then-Evernham Motorsports during the first two years of the Chase in 2004 and 2005.
He was released from EMS after a conflict with then-owner Ray Evernham in 2006.
NASCAR implemented a more stringent testing policy at the start of this season. Four to eight drivers randomly are tested each race weekend.
Elliott Sadler, who replaced Mayfield in the No. 19, said he feels for the driver and his family.
"But I do applaud NASCAR for this zero tolerance," he said. "As a racecar driver you want everything as safe as you can have it. I applaud them for stepping forward and standing behind their word.
"I hope it's a wake up call for everybody. We don't know what it is, if it's something that could be taken for a cold. Whatever you're taking, whether it's for allergies or whatever, you've got to make sure it's OK by NASCAR. As drivers we all know that now, so we've got to stay in tip-top shape and make sure we walk the line."
Team owner Joe Gibbs, who dealt with drug suspensions in the NFL as coach of the team=was">Washington Redskins, said the policy is good for the sport.
"But I'm always nervous, could it happen to someone on our team?" he said.
Hunter said Mayfield's test doesn't indicate there is a widespread problem.
"One of the things we said all along is we have a zero tolerance for our substance abuse policy," he said. "We made it very clear we are going to stick to that. & We believe it is working."
David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com.


NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield fails drug test - ESPN

[Dirty]

Fuck Me running.... Suspended him it looks like for Taking Claritin D

[rjordan1979]

I heard about this right before the Richmond race. Mayfield is officially done. He was before this, but it's over now. A sad end to what was a promising career.

[Heartman]

This is the 1st cup driver suspended, but in the truck series, there have been several who failed a drug test. The 1st one who comes to mind is Shane Hmiel. This guy was really, really good. Possibly a championship level driver. He blew it up his nose, though, and was suspended indefinitly about 4 or 5 years ago. He tested positive for cocaine. His father worked for Earnhardt JR's team for a long time.

Then there was another guy 2 years ago who was caught with heroin, in his car, in the Kings Island parking lot, by the cops. Suspended indefinitly. I forget his name.

Then, just last week, Kevin Grubb, a truck series driver who was suspended for drug use, killed himself at the age of 31, in a motel room. Sad story.

[Heartman]

The guy got caught with heroin in 2006. His name was Aaron Fike. He was good. I won some money betting on this guy and Hmiel. What is amazing, though, is this guy admitted to using heroin, even on days he raced. Unreal!!! It was after this incident that Nascar severely changed it's drug policy.

Kevin Grubb raced in the nationwide series and it was last wednesday, May 7th that he shot himself.

[Dirty]

I remember the Truck series suspensions.... I believe Mayfield will be fine as long as Claritin was the only drug... just doesn't seem like they can ruin your career over something like that.

[Reno Paul]

Claritin is one of Carl Edwards sponsors.

[Finance]

Claritin is one of Carl Edwards sponsors.

Now isn't that funny as hell....although so are all of the beer companies and I think even Jack Daniels and I don't think they want them racing on those either.....

[rjordan1979]

Then there was another guy 2 years ago who was caught with heroin, in his car, in the Kings Island parking lot, by the cops. Suspended indefinitly. I forget his name.

Aaron Fike is the driver of which you speak.

[Reno Paul]

Aaron Fike is the driver of which you speak.

Any relation to Barney Fike?????

[rjordan1979]

LOL, wasn't that Barney Fife?

[NickPappagiorgio]

Something doesnt add up here. Not sure NASCAR knows what theyre doing.

from espn.com

Mayfield comes out swinging

Saturday, May 16, 2009 | Print Entry



Mayfield Denies Violation
Jeremy Mayfield claims positive test didn't result from using an illegal drugMayfield Denies ViolationCONCORD, N.C. -- Word spread like wildfire through the Lowe's Motor Speedway media center Saturday evening that Jeremy Mayfield was at the All-Star Race, and writers hopped up from their seats like Whac-A-Mole targets to find him.

Word on the street was he was stationed atop a National Guard hospitality rig near the infield tunnel on the backstretch, so that's the direction I headed. I ran.

When I arrived, he was -- with headphones on ears -- taking in the Sprint Showdown, watching his No. 41 car compete. His wife, Shana, was with him. He saw me quickly and waved. I waved back, and did a "Can you talk?" motion with my hand, like a duck bill opening and closing.

He motioned me up.

When I got up there, we discussed his situation and our agreement that NASCAR should divulge the drug for which he tested positive. I asked him what it was.


[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Chuck Burton

Jeremy Mayfield, right, with ESPN's Marty Smith, apparently was in the wrong watching the race from the infield. Said NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston: "There seems to have been a misunderstanding on Jeremy's part."

He told me he didn't know.

Didn't know? How could he possibly not know?

"I have no paperwork whatsoever for what I tested for," Mayfield said. "I don't. They've shown me nothing."

Odd. Mayfield confirmed he'd hired legal representation, and wasn't inclined to file for reinstatement. That would be admittance of guilt, he said.

Every word we shared was shot on a mini-HD cam. He wore a microphone. A television crew was documenting his every move. I inquired about it, and he said it's something he'd been working on for a while.

He also told me something very interesting: When NASCAR told him he had the right for a B sample, he thought that meant he would be retested. He didn't realize the same sample would be tested again by the same lab.

"It's illegal. The same lab can't test both samples," he said.

Meanwhile, a slew of reporters had huddled beneath us. I told him he needed to step up and address the situation with them. He agreed, and down he went. He then set forth adamantly defending himself.

He said NASCAR's time line and explanation were inconsistent: "They've indicated something different every day of the week."

NASCAR denied that Saturday night.

"All NASCAR members who violate the policy, including Jeremy, are notified of the substance that caused the failure," league spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "Jeremy was verbally informed of the substance on three occasions last week by NASCAR's medical review officer. NASCAR stands by the reputable physicians and the nationally renowned lab that handles our substance abuse program."

Mayfield wasn't wearing any sort of credential. Rather, I noticed a yellow arm band, which I'm told was an infield pass any fan could buy for $75. Mayfield told the throng he had no plan to go to rehab, and asked whether any of us would do so if we didn't have a problem. He said he took two Claritin D tablets, and that there's more to the story than he's legally able to divulge at this time.

Mayfield got more animated with each passing question, and at one point Shana tried to calm him down. He kept going. He denied taking any illegal drugs and even pinched a bunch of his hair, mentioning that a hair sample would date back before Richmond.

It was like a revelation for him: I'm labeled now. If I'm going to fight this, I darn sure better stand up and fight it.

And he is.

"Wouldn't you want to know? Wouldn't you want a result?" Mayfield said. "If you guys were in my shoes wouldn't you want a result of your results of what happened?"

Earlier in the day I spoke with Tony Furr, Mayfield's old buddy and crew chief, and he backed his driver.

"Jeremy's had allergies. I've known him since '94, and back then he had allergies so bad, there was days it looked like he was crying all the time," Furr said. "On the way to Richmond it was like that. He used to get shots for that stuff and all, and he didn't do that. He took a Claritin.

"And he was out of Claritin and went to the [drug store] right across the road from Richmond [International Raceway] and bought some more Claritin and took another one there because he knew the next day he had to be ready to go. It just so happened it was his time for the random drug test."

Furr also does not believe Mayfield to be a drug abuser.

"It's a difficult situation. We all believe in Jeremy," Furr said. "If he's not the all-American boy, I don't know who is. I've known him all the way up through his career, here, and worked with him on and off. And I know the boy don't drink, smoke, [smoke] dope, none of that stuff.

"So I know Jeremy pretty good. I don't know him like a wife or nothing, but as a friend I've been around him quite a bit, and I can honestly say I don't believe the boy takes any kind of dope whatsoever."

[Dirty]

No way NASCAR can come out looking good in this situation.... They are like two monkeys fucking a football...

[NickPappagiorgio]

I suppose it is easier for one monkey to fuck a football.

NASCAR needs to decide if its going to be a mainstream sport or not. As a casual fan from the North (yeah the side that won) it was unvelievably Mickey Mouse to have Ric Flair announce the fans choice.

[Dirty]

I know one thing... If I was Mayfield and they suspended me for Claritin and Refused to give me a copy of the test I would do my best to Own NASCAR

[Reno Paul]

Dale Jr. last night came up with a boneheaded remark by saying "Don't do drugs and this won't happen." He doesn't understand there is such a thing as false positives for over the counter medications..

[Dirty]

Attorney says no suit has been filed


Comment Email Print Share
By Marty Smith
ESPN.com
Archive
NASCAR driver/owner 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.
Mayfield's suspension was announced by the governing body on May 9 at Darlington Raceway, after Mayfield tested positive for what NASCAR chairman Brian France called a "serious infraction."
France defined "serious" drugs as either recreational or performance-enhancing, and in addressing the media last weekend ruled out the performance-enhancing variety.
Mayfield denied on Saturday that he took a substance that violated NASCAR's substance abuse policy, and plans to do whatever he has to, even if that means legal action, to override his suspension.
Mayfield also vehemently denied using illegal drugs, maintained that Claritin D coupled with a prescription had triggered his positive test, and that NASCAR hadn't divulged the drug for which he was found to have tested positive.
"I have no paperwork whatsoever for what I tested for," Mayfield said. "I don't. They've shown me nothing."
Poston said in a statement that same evening that NASCAR had verbally informed Mayfield of the substance on three separate occasions. The administrator of NASCAR's drug testing policy, Dr. David Black from Aegis Labs in Nashville, Tenn., said Claritin D wasn't a plausible explanation.
Mayfield also said he has no plans to attend rehabilitation, which is required for reinstatement.
"Why would I?" he said. "Would you go to rehab if you didn't have a problem?"
Marty Smith covers NASCAR for ESPN.


Rachel Alexandra returns to track for first time since winning Preakness - ESPN

[rjordan1979]

If they came out and said what he was banned for, then people would be more clear on the subject. But Mayfield's pretty adamant about it, and for some reason, I believe him, despite what the doctor said.

[Dirty]

No doubt I believe what Mayfield is saying