Jeremy Mayfield
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Allen Mayfield is a former NASCAR
driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough
, Michael Kranefuss
, Roger Penske
, Ray Evernham
, Bill Davis
, and Gene Haas
. He last drove for his own team, Mayfield Motorsports, before his suspension.
On May 9, 2009, Mayfield was suspended indefinitely as both owner and driver by NASCAR following what NASCAR said was a positive test for methamphetamine
. A federal judge weighing the respective harms and evidence lifted the suspension temporarily on July 1, 2009. On July 15, 2009, it was revealed by NASCAR that Mayfield again tested positive for the second time of using methamphetamine. He allegedly failed a random drug test on July 6. On July 24, a federal appeals court overturned the previous injunction Mayfield had been awarded; leaving him suspended from the sport again.
bicycles. He then proceeded to race go-karts at local short tracks
; moving to Nashville Speedway USA at the age of 19. He soon went to work for Sadler Bros. Racing as a fabricator
, and became their driver, winning Late Model Rookie of the Year at Kentucky Motor Speedway
in 1987.
In 1993, he joined the ARCA series, and was named Rookie of the Year. He also made his Cup debut at the Mello Yello 500; starting 30th and finishing 29th in the #95 Earl Sadler-owned Mac Tools
Ford Thunderbird
.
Ford. He struggled heavily in '95, and was released. He signed to drive the #02 for T.W. Taylor, sponsored by Children's Miracle Network
for four races before completing the year in the #98 Fingerhut
Ford for Cale Yarborough
. He ran 20 starts in his inaugural season, his best finish a 19th at Rockingham
. In 1995, he stayed with Yarborough full-time with new sponsorship from RCA
, and had an eighth place run at the Miller Genuine Draft 500, with a 31st place finish in the points standings after qualifying for 27 out of 31 races. The next season, he had two top-fives and earned his first career pole at the DieHard 500. Later that season, he was released and replaced John Andretti
in the #37 Kmart
/Little Caesar's Ford owned by Michael Kranefuss
. Mayfield ended the year 26th in points.
. Mayfield took the points lead early in the season, and won his first career race at the Pocono 500
. At the end of the season, he was seventh in points. He was unable to replicate his success in 1999, and dropped four spots in the standings, despite twelve top-tens. In 2000, he won four poles and two races. One of the poles, however, was at the DieHard 500
, and the car was found to have violated the rules with an illegal fuel substance, and penalties resulted in the team earning -25 points from the race (his 126 points, earned by finishing 14th and leading a lap, were offset by the 151 point penalty NASCAR handed down). Later, while practicing for the Brickyard 400, he crashed hard into the wall. He suffered a concussion, and was forced to miss the next two races. He finished 24th in points that season.
He began 2001 with two consecutive third-place finishes, but his performance fell off, and was released after the Protection One 400. He sat out the rest of the season after signing a new deal.
. In his first year, Mayfield had just four top-tens and finished 26th in points. He rebounded some in 2003, winning the pole at the Aaron's 499
and posting 12 top-tens, finishing nineteenth in points. Finally in 2004, Mayfield returned to victory lane at the Chevy Rock and Roll 400
earning his team the 9th spot in the inaugural Chase for the Cup, and finished tenth in points. For a while, winning a race to get into the Chase was referred by the moniker "pulling a Jeremy Mayfield." In 2005, he won the GFS Marketplace 400
, and finished ninth in the standings. In August 2006 he was released from Evernham after his team fell out of the top-35 in owner points, and replaced by Bill Elliott
and then Elliott Sadler
.
Mayfield signed a contract with Bill Davis Racing
for 2007, driving the #36 Toyota Camry
with primary sponsorship from 360 OTC
. Associate sponsors included World Wrestling Entertainment
, the TNT television network
, and rock band Kiss
. He ran a total of 13 races for Bill Davis Racing in 32 attempts with a best finish of 22nd at Kansas Speedway
. In August 2007, it was announced that Mayfield and Davis would part ways at the end of the season. Later in the season, he would take over driving the #66 Best Buy
car for Haas CNC Racing
starting with Atlanta 2007. Late in 2007, he and teammate Scott Riggs
would switch rides with Mayfield ending up in the #70 car for the 2008 season.
Mayfield completed seven races in the #70 with a best finish of sixteenth before he was released from the team. He would complete one additional race at Dover in the #40 Target
Dodge, filling in for the injured Dario Franchitti
. He would start tenth and finished twenty-fifth.
In January 2009, Mayfield announced that he would attempt the full season in a self-owned Toyota, using the number 41. He raced his way into the Daytona 500. After 10 races in the 2009 season, Mayfield qualified for just 5. He was then embroiled in a substance abuse dispute that, for all intents and purposes, ended his racing career. By July 2009, Mayfield had sold his race team and operations due to lack of sponsorship, and the last remaining member of his crew resigned after all other members of the race team were laid off.
Jeremy Mayfield is featured in the video for "Drowning (Face Down)
" by the band Saving Abel
.
Mayfield was working as a delivery person in while waiting for word on his appeals. By 2011, tax officials in Catawba County, North Carolina
were on the verge of foreclosing on Mayfield's 388-acre spread there because he owed $82,000 in back taxes.
.com that he was not placed onto the entry list for Watkins Glen
, instead replaced by former Evernham driver Bill Elliott
. Discussions of a move to Bill Davis Racing
by Mayfield in the past month or two before were initially given as a reason for Mayfield's release, to make this transition sooner than later. Evernham later confirmed that Mayfield had been released from his contract after making comments about Evernham not being at the track often. Mayfield later stated that the problems with the 19 car stemmed from lack of attention from the team owner due to a "close personal relationship" with developmental driver Erin Crocker
. Mayfield stated that Evernham was not with the Cup cars most weeks because of the extensive attention that he was giving Crocker and her #98 truck team. Evernham later admitted that he was seriously involved in an affair
with Crocker. Evernham and Crocker were later married in 2009.
driver J.J. Yeley as interim driver and Jeremy's wife Shana Mayfield as the interim owner.
David Black, whose company oversees NASCAR's testing program, disputed Mayfield's claims, stating, "What we have is a clear violation of policy. In my many years of experience, I have never seen a violation like this due to the combination of over-the-counter or prescription products." Owing to NASCAR policy, Dr. Black refused to specify the substance for which Mayfield tested positive, instead saying it was "a drug of concern."
However, at the NASCAR
Sprint All-Star Race the week after his suspension, Mayfield publicly stated that he had only taken two tablets of Claritin-D, and that he had never used any sort of illegal drug. His wife and crew chief backed these claims. Afterwards, criticism of NASCAR's testing policy became rampant, and several suggested that NASCAR's secrecy over Mayfield's results was politically motivated as to not smear the reputation of Claritin, who was a sponsor of Carl Edwards
and NASCAR on Fox
at the time. To this day, Mayfield refuses to enter NASCAR's rehabilitation program, and has alluded to legal action against NASCAR.
On June 9, ESPN.com stated that during the random drug screening on May 1 at Richmond International Raceway, Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine
.
On July 1, 2009, US District Court Judge Graham Mullen granted a temporary injunction, lifting Mayfield's suspension. Mullen concluded that the "likelihood of a false positive in this case is quite substantial." In granting the injunction, Mullen ruled that the "harm to Mr. Mayfield significantly outweighs the harm to NASCAR". However, even with the injunction, Mayfield was forced to sit out the 2009 Coke Zero 400 and 2009 Lifelock 400
for want of a sponsor.
On July 15, 2009, NASCAR stated that Mayfield had again tested positive for methamphetamine
during testing on July 6, five days after his suspension was lifted. Mayfield's stepmother, Lisa Mayfield, stated that she had seen him use methamphetamine many times since 1998. Mayfield has refuted these allegations. Despite two positive tests, Mayfield continues to deny ever using the drug, blaming the results on ingestion of the OTC drug Claritin D. Additionally, Mayfield took a drug test 40 minutes after NASCAR's, this time with an office not affiliated with NASCAR, and it was negative. A doctor from Florida stated that it was impossible for Mayfield to use the levels of methamphetamine
NASCAR claimed he did, or else he would be dead or a chronic user.
According to an independent medical professional in Central Florida, the combination of medications cited by Mayfield has a 15% chance of a false positive being obtained.
A federal appeals court reversed Mayfield's injunction on July 24, 2009. On May 18, 2010, Mullen threw out Mayfield's suit, saying that Mayfield waived his right to sue NASCAR when he agreed to take part in NASCAR events.
On April 22, 2011 five dogs owned by Mayfield attacked a female mail carrier
who was carrying a package to the front porch. She received several scratches and bite marks on her legs. The dogs were quarantined and a decision has not been reached on what will happened to them or if charges will be made.
in late 2010 and early 2011, as well as audiovisual equipment that had been stolen from Red Bull Racing
in nearby Mooresville
in February 2011.
starts, with a best finish of 6th at the 2003 Hardee's 250 for Green Light Racing
. After his release from Evernham in 2006, he drove for Billy Ballew Motorsports
in a pair of truck races.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
, Michael Kranefuss
Michael Kranefuss
Michael Kranefuss is a German former head Ford Motor Company's International Motorsports division for 12 years. After leaving Ford, he became a NASCAR team owner.-Ford Motor Company:...
, Roger Penske
Roger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
, Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham is currently a consultant for Hendrick Companies. In 1999, Evernham won the NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated “Person of the Year”.-Racer:...
, Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
, and Gene Haas
Gene Haas
Gene Francis Haas is founder, president, and sole stockholder of Haas Automation, one of the world's leading CNC machine tool manufacturers. He also founded a NASCAR team, Haas CNC Racing now known as Stewart Haas Racing....
. He last drove for his own team, Mayfield Motorsports, before his suspension.
On May 9, 2009, Mayfield was suspended indefinitely as both owner and driver by NASCAR following what NASCAR said was a positive test for methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
. A federal judge weighing the respective harms and evidence lifted the suspension temporarily on July 1, 2009. On July 15, 2009, it was revealed by NASCAR that Mayfield again tested positive for the second time of using methamphetamine. He allegedly failed a random drug test on July 6. On July 24, a federal appeals court overturned the previous injunction Mayfield had been awarded; leaving him suspended from the sport again.
Career before NASCAR
Mayfield began racing in his hometown of Owensboro, racing BMXBMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
bicycles. He then proceeded to race go-karts at local short tracks
Short track motor racing
In North American auto racing, particularly with regard to NASCAR, a short track is a racetrack of less than one mile in length. Short track racing, often associated with fairgrounds and similar venues, is where stock car racing first got off the back roads and into organized and regulated...
; moving to Nashville Speedway USA at the age of 19. He soon went to work for Sadler Bros. Racing as a fabricator
Fabrication (metal)
Fabrication as an industrial term refers to building metal structures by cutting, bending, and assembling. The cutting part of fabrication is via sawing, shearing, or chiseling ; torching with handheld torches ; and via CNC cutters...
, and became their driver, winning Late Model Rookie of the Year at Kentucky Motor Speedway
Kentucky Motor Speedway (short track)
Kentucky Motor Speedway is a 3/8 mile short track located in Whitesville, Kentucky. The track was built in 1960, with an infield Figure 8 crossover added in 1981. Several NASCAR greats, including Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip, and Jeremy Mayfield, got their start in racing at the speedway...
in 1987.
In 1993, he joined the ARCA series, and was named Rookie of the Year. He also made his Cup debut at the Mello Yello 500; starting 30th and finishing 29th in the #95 Earl Sadler-owned Mac Tools
Mac Tools
Mac Tools is a professional tool company located in Westerville, Ohio, USA. The Mac Tools line consists of over 8000 professional tools including screwdrivers, ratchets, wrenches, and assorted air tools. Mac Tools also makes its own tool boxes located in its manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Ohio...
Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
.
Early NASCAR career
In 1994, Mayfield declared he would run for NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and signed to drive the Sadler Bros.' #95 Shoney'sShoney's
Shoney’s is a privately held restaurant chain that operates primarily in the Southeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. It is named after Alex Schoenbaum, who was the owner of the original chain of Big Boy restaurants in the southeastern United States...
Ford. He struggled heavily in '95, and was released. He signed to drive the #02 for T.W. Taylor, sponsored by Children's Miracle Network
Children's Miracle Network
The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is an international non-profit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals, medical research and community awareness of children's health issues. The organization, founded in 1982 by the Osmond family and John Schneider, is headquartered in...
for four races before completing the year in the #98 Fingerhut
Fingerhut
Fingerhut is a catalog retailer and an online retailer.Fingerhut was founded in 1948 by William Fingerhut and his brother Manny selling automobile seat covers. In 1952, the business re-positioned itself to a mail order catalog company and diversified its goods to include towels, dishes, and tools...
Ford for Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
. He ran 20 starts in his inaugural season, his best finish a 19th at Rockingham
North Carolina Speedway
Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina...
. In 1995, he stayed with Yarborough full-time with new sponsorship from RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
, and had an eighth place run at the Miller Genuine Draft 500, with a 31st place finish in the points standings after qualifying for 27 out of 31 races. The next season, he had two top-fives and earned his first career pole at the DieHard 500. Later that season, he was released and replaced John Andretti
John Andretti
John Andretti is an American race car driver. He has won in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.-Andretti family:...
in the #37 Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
/Little Caesar's Ford owned by Michael Kranefuss
Michael Kranefuss
Michael Kranefuss is a German former head Ford Motor Company's International Motorsports division for 12 years. After leaving Ford, he became a NASCAR team owner.-Ford Motor Company:...
. Mayfield ended the year 26th in points.
Late 1990s
Mayfield returned to the Kranefuss team in 1997. He had eight top tens, including two fifth-place runs, and finished a then career-high 13th place in points. After the season, Kranefuss sold part of the team to Penske Racing South, and the team's identity was switched, with a new number (#12) and new sponsor in Mobil 1Mobil 1
Mobil 1 is a brand name developed by the Mobil oil company and now marketed by ExxonMobil.It was introduced in 1974 as a 5w single viscosity fully synthetic motor oil advertised for use up to 25,000 miles. Later, the miles-specific recommendation was dropped and the product reformulated in other...
. Mayfield took the points lead early in the season, and won his first career race at the Pocono 500
Pocono 500
The 5-hour Energy 500 is the first of two stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in mid-June, the other being the Pennsylvania 500, usually held in early August. The Pocono 500 replaced a 400-mile race at Texas World Speedway on...
. At the end of the season, he was seventh in points. He was unable to replicate his success in 1999, and dropped four spots in the standings, despite twelve top-tens. In 2000, he won four poles and two races. One of the poles, however, was at the DieHard 500
Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race has always been held in late April or early May. The Aaron's 499 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the AMP Energy 500,...
, and the car was found to have violated the rules with an illegal fuel substance, and penalties resulted in the team earning -25 points from the race (his 126 points, earned by finishing 14th and leading a lap, were offset by the 151 point penalty NASCAR handed down). Later, while practicing for the Brickyard 400, he crashed hard into the wall. He suffered a concussion, and was forced to miss the next two races. He finished 24th in points that season.
He began 2001 with two consecutive third-place finishes, but his performance fell off, and was released after the Protection One 400. He sat out the rest of the season after signing a new deal.
Recent years
In 2002, Mayfield signed to Evernham Motorsports, replacing Casey AtwoodCasey Atwood
Casey Lee Atwood is an American race car driver. Atwood is currently a free agent in NASCAR. He married his longtime girlfriend, Laura, in 2005. Atwood and Laura have two daughters, Kaylee and Emma...
. In his first year, Mayfield had just four top-tens and finished 26th in points. He rebounded some in 2003, winning the pole at the Aaron's 499
Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race has always been held in late April or early May. The Aaron's 499 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the AMP Energy 500,...
and posting 12 top-tens, finishing nineteenth in points. Finally in 2004, Mayfield returned to victory lane at the Chevy Rock and Roll 400
Chevy Rock and Roll 400
The Wonderful Pistachios 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Since 2004, the race has served as the last race in NASCAR's "regular season". After this race, the top twelve drivers in the standings advance to the ten-race...
earning his team the 9th spot in the inaugural Chase for the Cup, and finished tenth in points. For a while, winning a race to get into the Chase was referred by the moniker "pulling a Jeremy Mayfield." In 2005, he won the GFS Marketplace 400
GFS Marketplace 400
The Pure Michigan 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race being held annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan since 1969. However, during the 1973 season it was not held after Roger Penske replaced the race with a Champ car event. The inaugural event was scheduled to be 600...
, and finished ninth in the standings. In August 2006 he was released from Evernham after his team fell out of the top-35 in owner points, and replaced by Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
and then Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
.
Mayfield signed a contract with Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series since 2007. Dodge, Ford, and Pontiac previously backed the team...
for 2007, driving the #36 Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
with primary sponsorship from 360 OTC
Rockford-Montgomery Labs
Rockford-Montgomery Labs, Inc. is a distribution and marketing company based in Athens, Georgia. The company has created a line of over the counter pharmaceutical products under its 360 OTC brand. As of 2010 the product is no longer sold.-360 OTC:...
. Associate sponsors included World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, the TNT television network
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
, and rock band Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. He ran a total of 13 races for Bill Davis Racing in 32 attempts with a best finish of 22nd at Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
. In August 2007, it was announced that Mayfield and Davis would part ways at the end of the season. Later in the season, he would take over driving the #66 Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
car for Haas CNC Racing
Haas CNC Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, and runs the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala driven by Stewart and the #39 United States...
starting with Atlanta 2007. Late in 2007, he and teammate Scott Riggs
Scott Riggs
Russell Scott Riggs is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #81 Dodge Charger for Whitney Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
would switch rides with Mayfield ending up in the #70 car for the 2008 season.
Mayfield completed seven races in the #70 with a best finish of sixteenth before he was released from the team. He would complete one additional race at Dover in the #40 Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
Dodge, filling in for the injured Dario Franchitti
Dario Franchitti
George Dario Marino Franchitti is a Scottish racing driver. He formerly competed in the CART series before switching to the IndyCar Series where he was 2007 champion, and won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500. Franchitti is also a former NASCAR driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, competing...
. He would start tenth and finished twenty-fifth.
In January 2009, Mayfield announced that he would attempt the full season in a self-owned Toyota, using the number 41. He raced his way into the Daytona 500. After 10 races in the 2009 season, Mayfield qualified for just 5. He was then embroiled in a substance abuse dispute that, for all intents and purposes, ended his racing career. By July 2009, Mayfield had sold his race team and operations due to lack of sponsorship, and the last remaining member of his crew resigned after all other members of the race team were laid off.
Jeremy Mayfield is featured in the video for "Drowning (Face Down)
Drowning (Face Down)
"Drowning " is the third single by the hard rock band Saving Abel from their self-titled debut album."Drowning " has so far reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 3 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.The music video was made on March 20, 2009, and was...
" by the band Saving Abel
Saving Abel
Saving Abel is a American rock music group from Corinth, Mississippi, who were started in 2004 by Jared Weeks and Jason Null. The band title is from the ancient biblical story of Cain and Abel, that is about a brother who killed his own brother...
.
Mayfield was working as a delivery person in while waiting for word on his appeals. By 2011, tax officials in Catawba County, North Carolina
Catawba County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 160,000 people, 55,533 households, and 39,095 families residing in the county. The population density was 354 people per square mile . There were 59,919 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
were on the verge of foreclosing on Mayfield's 388-acre spread there because he owed $82,000 in back taxes.
Release from Evernham Motorsports
On August 8, 2006, Jeremy learned through NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
.com that he was not placed onto the entry list for Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
, instead replaced by former Evernham driver Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
. Discussions of a move to Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series since 2007. Dodge, Ford, and Pontiac previously backed the team...
by Mayfield in the past month or two before were initially given as a reason for Mayfield's release, to make this transition sooner than later. Evernham later confirmed that Mayfield had been released from his contract after making comments about Evernham not being at the track often. Mayfield later stated that the problems with the 19 car stemmed from lack of attention from the team owner due to a "close personal relationship" with developmental driver Erin Crocker
Erin Crocker
Erin Mary Crocker Evernham is an American race car driver. She drove the #98 Gillett Evernham Motorsports owned Dodge Charger in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. In the past, she played soccer, tennis, and varsity lacrosse on both her high school and college teams...
. Mayfield stated that Evernham was not with the Cup cars most weeks because of the extensive attention that he was giving Crocker and her #98 truck team. Evernham later admitted that he was seriously involved in an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with Crocker. Evernham and Crocker were later married in 2009.
Substance abuse violation
On May 9, 2009, Mayfield was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. Mayfield stated, "I believe that the combination of a prescribed medicine and an over the counter medicine reacted together and resulted in a positive drug test. My Doctor and I are working with both NASCAR consultant Dr. David Black and NASCAR to resolve this matter." Mayfield Motorsports named former Hall of Fame RacingHall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing team principally owned by Jeff Moorad, Tom Garfinkel, and Tom Davin. The team was created as a joint venture between former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman...
driver J.J. Yeley as interim driver and Jeremy's wife Shana Mayfield as the interim owner.
David Black, whose company oversees NASCAR's testing program, disputed Mayfield's claims, stating, "What we have is a clear violation of policy. In my many years of experience, I have never seen a violation like this due to the combination of over-the-counter or prescription products." Owing to NASCAR policy, Dr. Black refused to specify the substance for which Mayfield tested positive, instead saying it was "a drug of concern."
However, at the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint All-Star Race the week after his suspension, Mayfield publicly stated that he had only taken two tablets of Claritin-D, and that he had never used any sort of illegal drug. His wife and crew chief backed these claims. Afterwards, criticism of NASCAR's testing policy became rampant, and several suggested that NASCAR's secrecy over Mayfield's results was politically motivated as to not smear the reputation of Claritin, who was a sponsor of Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards
Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
and NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox is the Emmy-winning branding used for Fox Sports's broadcasts of NASCAR races airing on the Fox network since 2001. The production has been in high-definition since 2005.-Background:...
at the time. To this day, Mayfield refuses to enter NASCAR's rehabilitation program, and has alluded to legal action against NASCAR.
On June 9, ESPN.com stated that during the random drug screening on May 1 at Richmond International Raceway, Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
.
On July 1, 2009, US District Court Judge Graham Mullen granted a temporary injunction, lifting Mayfield's suspension. Mullen concluded that the "likelihood of a false positive in this case is quite substantial." In granting the injunction, Mullen ruled that the "harm to Mr. Mayfield significantly outweighs the harm to NASCAR". However, even with the injunction, Mayfield was forced to sit out the 2009 Coke Zero 400 and 2009 Lifelock 400
2009 LifeLock 400
The 2009 LifeLock 400 was the fifteenth points race in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. Held on Sunday, June 14 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, it was the first of two races sponsored by the internet protection service LifeLock, the other being the LifeLock.com 400 at...
for want of a sponsor.
On July 15, 2009, NASCAR stated that Mayfield had again tested positive for methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
during testing on July 6, five days after his suspension was lifted. Mayfield's stepmother, Lisa Mayfield, stated that she had seen him use methamphetamine many times since 1998. Mayfield has refuted these allegations. Despite two positive tests, Mayfield continues to deny ever using the drug, blaming the results on ingestion of the OTC drug Claritin D. Additionally, Mayfield took a drug test 40 minutes after NASCAR's, this time with an office not affiliated with NASCAR, and it was negative. A doctor from Florida stated that it was impossible for Mayfield to use the levels of methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
NASCAR claimed he did, or else he would be dead or a chronic user.
According to an independent medical professional in Central Florida, the combination of medications cited by Mayfield has a 15% chance of a false positive being obtained.
A federal appeals court reversed Mayfield's injunction on July 24, 2009. On May 18, 2010, Mullen threw out Mayfield's suit, saying that Mayfield waived his right to sue NASCAR when he agreed to take part in NASCAR events.
On April 22, 2011 five dogs owned by Mayfield attacked a female mail carrier
Mail carrier
A mail carrier, mailman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman , postman/postwoman , letter carrier or postie is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcel post to residences and businesses...
who was carrying a package to the front porch. She received several scratches and bite marks on her legs. The dogs were quarantined and a decision has not been reached on what will happened to them or if charges will be made.
2011 arrest
On November 1, 2011 sheriff's deputies searched Mayfield's home in Catawba County after getting a tip that Mayfield and four accomplices were staging burglaries to support Mayfield's meth habit. Mayfield was taken into custody after deputies found 1.5 grams of meth in a safe. Authorities later found $100,000 worth of stolen goods in Mayfield's home. Among the recovered items were heavy machinery that had been reported stolen from two businesses in neighboring Lincoln CountyLincoln County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 71,498 people, 24,041 households, and 18,174 families residing in the county. The population density was 214 people per square mile . There were 25,717 housing units at an average density of 86 per square mile...
in late 2010 and early 2011, as well as audiovisual equipment that had been stolen from Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes, England which currently holds an Austrian licence. It is, along with Scuderia Toro Rosso, one of two teams owned by beverage company Red Bull GmbH. The team have won two Constructors' Championship titles, in and , becoming the...
in nearby Mooresville
Mooresville, North Carolina
Mooresville is a large suburban town in southern Iredell County, North Carolina, USA. It is in the Metrolina metro area. The population was 32,133 at the 2010 United States Census...
in February 2011.
Other series
Jeremy Mayfield has 36 career NASCAR Nationwide Series starts. To date he has five top tens, his best finish being a fourth at Rockingham in 2003. He has also three Craftsman Truck SeriesCraftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
starts, with a best finish of 6th at the 2003 Hardee's 250 for Green Light Racing
Green Light Racing
SS-Green Light Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Owned and operated by businessmen Ken Smith and Steve Urvan and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team fields the #07 Toyota Tundra for several drivers and the #81 Zachry Industrial, Inc. Toyota for David Starr...
. After his release from Evernham in 2006, he drove for Billy Ballew Motorsports
Billy Ballew Motorsports
Billy Ballew Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They were formed in 1996 by Georgia businessman Billy Ballew. They currently field the #51 Bullet Liner F-150 for Colin Braun.- Fasscore Motorsports :...
in a pair of truck races.