Jeremy Mayfield's legal battle against NASCAR ends with a whimper
By Eric Mauk: In one of the more famous cases of a driver fighting City Hall in the sport’s recent history, Jeremy Mayfield maintained his innocence until the bitter end
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeremy Mayfield has finally given up the fight against the sanctioning body over a failed drug test from 2009.
Mayfield’s opportunity to appeal a March 2010 U.S. Court of Appeals decision that he could not sue NASCAR passed on Wednesday, ending a two-year battle for the five-time NASCAR race winner.
In one of the more famous cases of a driver fighting City Hall in the sport’s recent history, Mayfield raged against the system after a drug test reported that Mayfield had been taking methamphetamines. Mayfield repeatedly claimed his innocence, charged that the positive results had been due to his taking allergy medication and even alleged that NASCAR President Brian France had been involved in illegal political contributions.
He got an injunction to continue racing after the failed test in May of 2009, but did not return to the track due to a lack of sponsorship. Then NASCAR announced that he had failed a second test given in July of that same year. In January of 2010, a U.S. District Court judge ruled against Mayfield before the case ever went to trial. The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld that ruling in March, ruling that Mayfield could not sue NASCAR because of waivers he signed regarding implementation of NASCAR's substance-abuse policy.
The final blow for Mayfield came in November of last year when his home in North Carolina was raided by Catawba County sheriff deputies, who found methamphetamines in a safe on the property. Officials also found nearly $100,000 worth of stolen goods in the home.
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