Mayfield reportedly tested positive for methamphetamine

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Thursday, June 18, 2009

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Jeremy Mayfield allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine when he failed a NASCAR drug test May 1, according to a June 9 report in ESPN The Magazine. Mayfield was suspended indefinitely following the positive drug test.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Mayfield, who has five wins in 433 career Cup starts, has claimed the test result was a false positive and denied using illegal drugs.

“Am I denying it? Yeah, I’m denying it,” he said May 16.

Mayfield is suing NASCAR to get his indefinite suspension lifted, and NASCAR has countersued Mayfield for violating its substance-abuse policy and not informing NASCAR of changes in his medication. All of the principals in the case, including NASCAR, the attorneys and the laboratory that did the test, have been under a gag order since May 29 and are not allowed to discuss the results of the test, which was taken at Richmond International Raceway.

Mayfield’s lawsuit indicated he tested positive for amphetamines, which it says was the result of a prescription for Adderall, which is often used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. It also stated that he had taken Claritin-D, an over-the-counter allergy medicine, the day prior to the test.

NASCAR attorney Paul Hendrick said in North Carolina state court May 29 that three drugs were found in Mayfield’s system, and that two were accounted for but that the test also found a “dangerous, illegal, banned” substance. He did not specify the banned substance, and NASCAR blacked it out in its counterclaim against Mayfield.

“After he tested positive for multiple drugs, Mayfield admitted that he had been using an [redacted] without informing NASCAR, for at least one month during which he raced in two races,” NASCAR states in its counterclaim. “Mayfield’s admitted use of an [redacted] does not explain his positive test for the illegal drug, [redacted].”

No toxicology reports were submitted as part of Mayfield’s complaint. NASCAR included the toxicology report in its exhibits, but it was redacted from the public documents available.