Mayfield meets with NASCAR; legal action possible

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) " Jeremy Mayfield might have to take legal action to get his NASCAR suspension lifted.

The driver and his lawyer met with NASCAR for more than an hour Thursday. Attorney Bill Diehl said the meeting was cordial but did not get them any closer to resolving the issue. Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test.

"Jeremy doesn't believe that he's done anything that supports his suspension for the use of drugs," Diehl said.

NASCAR has not revealed what banned substance Mayfield used, and Diehl also refused to identify the substance.

Joining Mayfield and Diehl at the meeting were four other Diehl associates. Representing NASCAR was general counsel Gary Crotty, assistant general counsel Karen Leetzow, Black and Steve O'Donnell, vice president of racing operations.

"I would agree it was cordial. We laid out the process," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. "They want to get Jeremy back in the car, and there is a very well-defined program to do that. Jeremy needs to meet with Dr. Black and work that out, and if he is successful in that, he can get back in the car."

Mayfield was dropped off and picked up by his wife in a white Cadillac Escalade. When she returned to get him, a cameraman emerged from the back seat to film the scene.

Mayfield has insisted that the mix of a prescription drug with over-the-counter allergy medication Claritin-D led to his positive result. Dr. David Black, CEO of Aegis Sciences Corp., which runs the testing program, has repeatedly rejected that explanation.

NASCAR chairman Brian France has described Mayfield's test as a "serious violation" of the substance-abuse policy, and he categorized that as use of a performance-enhancer or a recreational drug. A person familiar with the test results has told The Associated Press the positive test was not for performance-enhancers, meaning the positive test resulted from an illegal recreational drug. The person requested anonymity because the test results were supposed to remain confidential.

Thursday's meeting took place at NASCAR's research and development center, not far from Lowe's Motor Speedway, where Mayfield was banned. J.J. Yeley was scheduled to try to qualify Mayfield's No. 41 Toyota later Thursday in hopes of getting into the field for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600.

But Diehl said legal action might be necessary to get Mayfield back behind the wheel.

"That's what he does for a living," Diehl said.