On Might 9, 2009, Jeremy Mayfield’s life modified without end.
That was the day that Mayfield, then a NASCAR Cup Sequence veteran of 17 years, was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR as a result of a violation of NASCAR’s substance abuse coverage.
Mayfield vehemently denied taking unlawful substances each then and now and describes 2009 as a yr when he and his household had been pressured to “decide up the items” after a protracted authorized battle.
“It was one thing that Shana (Mayfield) and I weren’t prepared for,” Mayfield mentioned. “When one thing like that hits you, you need to begin taking it someday at a time. Daily, it felt like we had been being hit from someplace. We simply could not get forward of the circumstances. We had been consistently behind so far as our lawsuit with NASCAR went. It was only a fixed uphill battle.”
Whereas Mayfield has competed in a number of short-track races and collection within the 15 years since his suspension from NASCAR, he hasn’t made a nationwide collection begin in that decade-and-a-half span.
“When it was throughout with, we had been simply glad it was over and felt it was time to maneuver on. We needed to decide up the items, and Shana and I simply moved on from it. It was powerful, in all probability the hardest factor I’ve ever been by way of. I would not need anybody else to undergo it. However we felt like we had been proper in what we did. We stood up for what we believed in and fought all the way in which to the tip.”
“To this present day, I would not change a factor.”
When requested what his conversations with NASCAR’s brass had been like throughout the controversy, Mayfield gave a stunning reply.
Mayfield says he was by no means afforded the chance to talk with any NASCAR higher-ups throughout or after the state of affairs, saying he solely “talked with a few lower-level executives.”
“If we may’ve sat down on Day 1, earlier than they made any bulletins, we might have had it labored out. However they did not wish to do this. I could not speak to Brian France, I could not speak to Jim France. They only threw it out to the general public, and the harm was performed to me already.”
“There was nothing else I may do. To this present day, I nonetheless have not sat down with both of them and talked about it. That is what sucks, they did not wish to speak about it. As quickly as they advised me about my (drug) take a look at and mentioned I failed, I mentioned ‘I am positive I did. I used to be taking adderall.’ I advised them that. I did precisely what (NASCAR’s drug coverage) mentioned. That wasn’t adequate. It (NASCAR) is a family-owned enterprise, however when it comes right down to it, you may’t speak to anyone within the household.”
Mayfield says that lack of communication and transparency results in these throughout the sport feeling that they are unable to resolve points in a succint method.
Mayfield then referred to the story of the late Tim Richmond, who burst onto the Cup Sequence scene within the 80s, solely to see drug-related controversies rapidly derail his profession. Richmond died in August of 1989, by no means having been given the possibility to elucidate his facet of the story.
“They rigged his (Tim Richmond’s) (drug) take a look at. They admitted it. They mainly advised the drug testing firm to seek out one thing to make it a optimistic take a look at. They (NASCAR) are able to something,” Mayfield added.
Within the current day, NASCAR finds itself in the midst of one other authorized bout. On Oct. 2, 23XI Racing and Entrance Row Motorsports filed a lawsuit in opposition to the stock-car racing large, with lawyer Jeffrey Kessler calling NASCAR the “poster youngster for a monopoly.”
“For Michael Jordan to try this (file a lawsuit) says rather a lot. He would not have ever performed that if it (NASCAR) had been carried out the fitting manner,” Mayfield mentioned. “After they leap in and file this lawsuit in opposition to NASCAR, that ought to say rather a lot.”
All quotations obtained firsthand until in any other case famous.
