Mayfield Ends Lawsuit Against NASCAR

After more than three years of legal wrangling and setbacks, Jeremy Mayfield’s lawsuit against NASCAR is over.

Jeremy and Shana Mayfield

Mayfield sued the sanctioning body after a May 1, 2009 drug test revealed methamphetamine in his system. He was suspended indefinitely from the sport, but blamed his positive test result on a combination of the prescription drug Adderall he used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and the over-the-counter allergy medication Claritin-D. He also said NASCAR and its drug testing agent, AEGIS Sciences Corporation, failed to follow accepted industry protocol.

Lower courts sided with NASCAR on three different occasions, with Mayfield appealing each decision. A trial was scheduled to begin in September of 2010, but U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen ruled that Mayfield had signed documents outlining NASCAR’s substance abuse policy while applying for a 2009 competitor’s license; documents that acknowledged the sanctioning body’s right to test him for substance abuse at any time. Mullen specifically noted a clause in the document signed by Mayfield that stated, “I recognize that the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy promotes the integrity of NASCAR-sanctioned racing and the safety of NASCAR Competitors, Officials, and spectators. Accordingly, I HEREBY RELEASE, DISCHARGE, COVENANT NOT TO SUE, AND AGREE TO HOLD HARMLESS NASCAR, its officers, employees, directors, agents, and such testing facilities and Medical Review Officers as NASCAR retains or selects in connection with implementation of the Policy…” Mullen also ruled that Mayfield was aware that a positive drug test would result in an indefinite suspension of his NASCAR license.

Mayfield appealed that decision, as well, but the verdict was upheld in March of this year. Mayfield indicated then that he did not plan to pursue the case to the United States Supreme Court, and yesterday’s final deadline passed without further filings.

Mayfield continues to face multiple felony counts of possession of methamphetamine, larceny, breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, obtaining property under false pretenses, felonious breaking and entering of tractor-trailers and larceny from a building. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 14 years in jail. He and his wife, Shana, were recently ordered to pay $1 million to a postal worker attacked by dogs at his North Carolina home in April of 2011.