Mayfield says NASCAR paid stepmother

CHARLOTTE -- Jeremy Mayfield tested positive again for methamphetamine, NASCAR said, igniting another round of denials from the driver, who angrily accused the sanctioning body of paying his stepmother to lie about his alleged past drug use.

The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday that asked the federal judge who lifted Mayfield's drug suspension to reinstate the ban. The filing included an affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother, Lisa, who said she witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years.

"I don't trust anything NASCAR does, anything Dr. David Black does, never have, never will," Mayfield told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Black is the administrator for NASCAR's drug-testing program.

"And they picked the wrong woman to use against me because that (expletive) is trash and has got nothing on me but lies."

According to documents, Lisa Mayfield said she first saw the driver use meth in 1998 at a race shop in Mooresville, N.C. She said Mayfield cooked his own drugs until the ingredient pseudoephedrine was taken off the shelves and it became too difficult for Mayfield to obtain the ingredients. She said her stepson then began to purchase meth from others.

"Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often," she said in her affidavit. "I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it. I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others."

Mayfield contested his stepmother's account.

"She's tried everything she can do to get money out of me. I won't help her, so I guess she found a way to get money from NASCAR by giving them an affidavit full of lies," he said.

Mayfield also said he plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Lisa Mayfield. He says he believes she played a role in his father's 2007 death, which was ruled a suicide.

The former general manager of Mayfield's team, Bobby Wooten, told NewsChannel 36 on Thursday that Jeremy Mayfield told him months ago he suspected his stepmother in the death of his father, long before Lisa Mayfield made her accusations. Attorney Bill Diehl also said Jeremy Mayfield has talked about Lisa Mayfield's role in his father's death.

Jeremy Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test conducted eight days earlier. NASCAR later said he tested positive for methamphetamine.

He sued, and U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen issued an injunction July 1 that allowed Mayfield to return to competition. Mullen based his decision on Mayfield's argument that the testing system is flawed and there was a reasonable likelihood of a false positive. He also gave NASCAR the right to test Mayfield at any time.

NASCAR did just that five days later at Mayfield's home and said in its filings that the "A" sample had levels of methamphetamine consistent with habitual users who consume high doses.

"My only comment is that's their result," Mayfield attorney John Buric said. "But what I want you to keep in mind is that test was performed by the defendants in the case. Aegis Laboratories and Dr. Black are defendants in this case. I don't know if NASCAR has the right to ask the defendant to test Jeremy's urine sample. It ought to be done independently, but NASCAR didn't do that."

On July 6, Mayfield also had a second test at a lab chosen by his attorneys. Buric said that test came back negative but was sent back to the lab Wednesday for "reconfirmation" after the NASCAR test results were received.

The filing also claims Mayfield and his attorneys have failed to select a qualified laboratory to test the backup "B" sample. Buric acknowledged the two sides are still haggling over a lab for the "B" sample and said NASCAR rejected the lab they picked.

Lisa Mayfield said her stepson told her he used meth before a season-ending NASCAR awards ceremony while driving for Ray Evernham. She also said Mayfield used meth during a 1999 trip to Myrtle Beach that preceded a race at nearby Darlington Raceway.

"We left Myrtle Beach and traveled to Darlington for the race," she wrote. "I saw Jeremy using methamphetamine again when we reached Darlington."

Mayfield said all of Lisa Mayfield's claims were lies based on being monetarily cut off following her husband's 2007 death.

"She don't deserve the Mayfield name," he said. "She's hated me since my dad got killed because I won't give her any money. She goes on the Internet and blogs lies about me and Shana (his wife) and everything you can imagine. She's broke, and I guess she got NASCAR to give her some money."

Mayfield also said he has independently been tested at least six times since his failed May 1 test, and all came back negative.

Meantime, Mayfield's lawyers filed their response Wednesday to NASCAR's motion last week to overturn Mullen's injunction.

The brief, which didn't include the results of Mayfield's latest drug case, argued NASCAR was trying to "fashion the rules to their liking" by not meeting the requirements needed to overturn the ruling. Mayfield's lawyers argued Mullen had correctly ruled that Mayfield faced irreparable harm from a suspension and doubts remain about the accuracy of NASCAR's testing policy.

"NASCAR is absolutely corrupted by power, and its untenable motion to stay should be denied," his lawyers wrote.

Last Mayfield employee resigns

Meanwhile, the last remaining employee at Jeremy Mayfield's race team said Wednesday he resigned because he doesn't believe Mayfield Motorsports will return to the track.

Bobby Wooten, general manager of the first-year team, said his resignation had nothing to do with Mayfield's ongoing battle with NASCAR over a failed drug test.

"I think Jeremy is telling the truth. I back him 110 percent," Wooten told The Associated Press. "I don't believe Jeremy is a drug addict. I do believe he could have taken one too many over-the-counter drugs, and now this situation has popped up."

Wooten, who spent nine years as a police officer in North Carolina, said he knows from his time on the job that drug users are capable of hiding the abuse and fooling those around them. But he said since his February hiring, he never suspected Mayfield of being under the influence of an illegal drug.

He testified to that in a sworn affidavit that U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen took in to consideration when he lifted Mayfield's suspension.

"I have never seen Jeremy under that pretense," Wooten said. "And he was around us four and five days a week, 12 hours a day. Typically, if you are an abuser of this particular drug, you can't go without it for that long of a time. I did not ever see that in Jeremy."

Wooten said he stuck by Mayfield because he believed the failed drug test would be resolved and they would eventually get the team back on track. He said in conversations with Mayfield, it did not seem as if the owner had any interest in getting Mayfield Motorsports back up and running.

"Basically, Jeremy just wanted to go in a different direction than I wanted to do," he said of his Monday resignation. "There are cars ready to go to the race track; all we needed was five or six days to get everything back up and running. But I believe what Jeremy is attempting to do is to just totally get rid of Mayfield Motorsports, that's his intention."

Ownership of the No. 41 was transferred to Shana Mayfield after her husband's suspension, and she told The AP last week the couple is considering selling the team.

"He's got six completed race cars, equipment, a tractor trailer -- assets to sell," Wooten said.