Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Jeremy Mayfield saga in words, pictures and music

Okay, right now the Jeremy Mayfield saga has more twists and turns than a West Virginia family tree. So with that in mind, we'd like to bring you up to speed on the latest. But a simple recap just wouldn't do this story justice. No, we're going to go full multimedia here.

The Mayfield Meth story is classic Southern gothic -- murder, in-laws, hatred, drugs, deep-fried drama -- and so we've got to respond to it as such. We need to begin with a soundtrack, and what better to begin with than the tune that puts everybody in the right frame of mind? Simply click on the little orange "play" button below to get things started ...

Banjos rolling? Great! Now, let's run through the story as it now stands, offering up the he-said/she-said of both Jeremy Mayfield and his mother-in-law Lisa ...

In May, Mayfield was suspended indefinitely for failing a random drug test. While NASCAR did not disclose the substance, Mayfield said the positive test was a result of a prescription medicine and an over-the-counter medicine. Mayfield immediately turned to the courts.

In July, Mayfield briefly won an injunction to race, but didn't show. Good thing, too, because several drivers, including Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, filed affidavits indicating they would be uncomfortable racing with someone who could have tested positive for drugs.

In July, Mayfield took another drug test ... and failed again. Ouch.

In mid-July, Lisa Mayfield filed an affidavit charging that Mayfield not only used meth, but even cooked it himself. "Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often ... I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him."

And then it turned really ugly. Mayfield shot back that NASCAR "picked the wrong woman to use against me because that (expletive) is trash and has got nothing on me but lies ... She don't deserve the Mayfield name ... She's hated me since my dad got killed because I won't give her any money. She goes on the Internet and blogs lies about me and Shana (his wife) and everything you can imagine. She's broke, and I guess she got NASCAR to give her some money."

Mayfield kept up the pressure, saying that he plans to serve Lisa Mayfield with a wrongful death suit. "She's basically a whore," he told ESPN.com's David Newton. "She shot and killed my dad." Wow! Pull no punches!

Lisa Mayfield didn't take kindly to Mayfield's contention that "My father didn't commit suicide. He was shot in the heart." In July, she filed a defamation suit against him.

In August, Lisa Mayfield was arrested for trespassing on Mayfield's property. She allegedly showed up drunk, then punched a Mayfield employee in the chest and kicked his wife in the crotch. You know, just like at your family reunions.

So that's where we stand right now. Oh, and guess what? We're not going to be free of this until 2010, at least! Keep those banjos rolling, everybody!

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