Mayfield story intrigue keeps increasing

By Jeff Findley | Clanton Advertiser

Published Sunday, July 19, 2009

The hole created, either for Jeremy Mayfield or by Jeremy Mayfield, is getting awfully deep. Too deep to crawl out of, I’m afraid.

Since being suspended by NASCAR back in May for testing positive for methamphetamine, this story has taken some weird and wacky turns. I say it is now time to either do you know what or get off the pot, for both Mayfield and NASCAR.

On July 1, Mayfield’s suspension was lifted by court order in Charlotte. On July 6, NASCAR tested Mayfield again, and the test came back positive for meth again. This time, NASCAR released the results and said the test was typical of a heavy and long-term user of meth. Now, NASCAR is asking for the court order to be reversed.

Mayfield says that someone “spiked” his urine and NASCAR was set on making an example out of him. Two other tests taken on July 6 came back negative, according to Mayfield’s attorney. There were even veiled accusations by Mayfield in a radio interview that NASCAR CEO Brian France was a drug user.

“Brian France talking about effective drug policy is like Al Capone talking about effective law enforcement,” Mayfield said during the radio interview with Buddy Baker. “The pot shouldn’t be calling the kettle black.” Mayfield continued.

To make this more a circus, NASCAR released affidavits from Mayfield’s stepmother stating that she had personally witnessed him using meth more than 30 times in the last twenty years. And she even said that Mayfield cooked the stuff up himself.

Mayfield responded by using a few unpleasant names for his stepmother and said NASCAR paid her for the statement. And, to top it all off, that she had killed his father in 2007 and he was about to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the stepmother. All the while, Mayfield has maintained his innocence relative to using meth.

Follow all that? Good, because this is a story that would make John Grisham proud.

I think the judge presiding over the case should order a test for Mayfield, analyzed by a laboratory of the court’s choosing and settle this once and for all. If the test comes back positive, that’s the end of the story and Mayfield’s career is effectively over. If it comes back negative, well, that would open a whole other can of worms that would shake NASCAR’s world. Just get it done and move on.

Word came out this week that Kevin Harvick is looking to leave Richard Childress Racing after the season with one year left on his contract. Additionally, Harvick wants to take primary sponsor Shell with him to Stewart Haas Racing.

RCR can replace a driver, but replacing the $15 million that Shell brings to the table will be more difficult in this economy. RCR says both driver and sponsor will stay put for 2010. But, we all know when something like this comes out in the public, the ending is never good. I would be shocked if Harvick starts the 2010 season in the No. 29, but Shell remaining is another story.

This week, the Cup guys get a week off before the big race in Indianapolis next weekend.

– Jeff Findley is a guest columnist for The Clanton Advertiser. His column appears each Weekend.

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