NASCAR needs to come clean with Mayfield

Lost in the shining lights of NASCAR’s All Star Race Saturday night was the presence of Jeremy Mayfield.

Mayfield recently became the first NASCAR driver suspended under the sanctioning body’s new tougher drug testing policy. NASCAR announced the test results and suspension May 9th after the test was administered a week prior at the race at Richmond. 

The driver, who has five wins in 433 Cup Series starts, claimed shortly after the suspension that the positive test results were due to a mix of over the counter and prescription medication. Mayfield said that he had taken the over the counter allergy medicine Claritin-D but would not reveal what the prescription medicine was.

NASCAR’s chairman Brian France however said Friday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway the violation was a ‘serious’ one resulting from a positive test for either illegal recreational drugs or performance-enhancing substances.

Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, a reporter spotted Mayfield in the infield at a hospitality area. It wasn’t long before several members of the media found Mayfield and he talked about his recent failed drug test.

“That's what he indicates,” Mayfield said about France’s comments, “But they've indicated something different every day of the week. I've heard the same story you all have heard. I really don't want to say a whole lot.”

Saturday night Mayfield also denied using any illegal drugs.

Yeah, I'm denying it. Illegal drugs? Yeah, definitely," Mayfield said.

What drug Mayfield did test positive for still isn’t known because so far NASCAR has refused to say what the substance was.

"If any of you guys were in my shoes, wouldn't you all want your results of what happened?" Mayfield said. "I've got nothing. I've got reinstatement papers. I'd like to see the results and I don't have the results. ... I have never gotten anything saying what it was."

Not long after Mayfield’s presence was known, NASCAR said he was violating the terms of his suspension and asked him to leave the track, which he did. NASCAR then released a statement that seemed to contradict what Mayfield had just said.

"All NASCAR members who violate the policy, including Jeremy, are notified of the substance that caused the failure," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said in a statement. "Jeremy was verbally informed of the substance on three occasions last week by NASCAR's medical review officer. NASCAR stands by the reputable physicians and the nationally renowned lab that handles our substance abuse program."

Since Mayfield’s suspension NASCAR has been taken to task for not releasing the substance that he tested positive for as well as not releasing a list of banned substances.

Major League Baseball has had more then its share of drug scandals. From steroids to heroin, players have tested positive and the game has been tainted, some say forever.

But one reaction MLB had early on was to release a list of the substances that they tested for and banned. They also spelled out steps that players who tested positive could take towards reinstatement.

During the same week that Mayfield’s suspension came to light, former Busch Series driver Kevin Grubb was found dead from a self inflected gunshot wound in Virginia. Grubb was suspended indefinitely in 2006 after he refused to submit to a random drug test at Richmond. He had been suspended once before, in 2004, after failing a drug test. As part of his reinstatement, Grubb has agreed to random testing.

NASCAR is of course in no way responsible for Grubb’s death. But NASCAR can spell out what he was tested for, and how they tried to help them, as no doubt they did. Did Grubb fail a rehabilitation program? Did NASCAR even offer one? These are questions that have to be answered.

And the way NASCAR has handled their drug-testing program needs to change.

Whether Mayfield is guilty of taking an illegal drug or simply an over the counter medication is less important then the way NASCAR is handling the issue.

It’s time the veil of secrecy is lifted and the case is presented to the court of public opinion.

NASCAR, Jeremy Mayfield and the lawyers need to sit down face to face and hammer out an agreement that will allow the release of Mayfield’s test results, including what if any follow up tests were done and what steps will be taken to reinstate Mayfield.

For NASCAR that means releasing their entire policy to the public, as MLB and other major sports have done. The competitors need to see what substances are tested for and more importantly what NASCAR will do to help someone who may have a problem.

If Mayfield is guilty of using an illegal drug, NASCAR can lay out the steps and show how they will provide the assistance needed not only to get him back on the track. And in the end it may allow Mayfield to become a shining example of what can happen when it’s done right.

If for some reason Mayfield has used illegal drugs he too should come clean and tell the truth. Instead of being shunned or ostracized Mayfield would find that he has the support of thousands of NASCAR fans.

If for some reason the test was a false positive or mistake, making the information public can allow NASCAR to show how it can fix the process and everyone can simply move on. They have made mistakes before and been the first to admit to that and take steps to correct them.

Until NASCAR comes clean on Mayfield and releases their policy like other sports have done, and if guilty Mayfield himself own up to his mistake, the dark cloud of suspicion will continue to loom over an otherwise great sport. 

Download and view a copy of the MLB Drug policy here-->> (PDF)