As was to be expected, more details are emerging on the Jeremy Mayfield drug test situation as court dates begin.

This week, one of Mayfield’s attorneys said he took Claritin-D, an allergy drug, and Adderall, a prescription medication that treats attention deficit disorder. The attorney said that according to NASCAR, Mayfield had tested positive for amphetamines. Perhaps not coincidentally, Adderall is an amphetamine.

Since NASCAR is continuing to be secretive about what substances are banned for use by drivers, it is not clear whether Adderall is a banned substance. Mayfield is requesting an injunction, which may be ruled on Wednesday, which would allow him to return to racing while this matter is being resolved in court.

If the Adderall is what triggered the failed drug test, Mayfield has a legitimate beef and could end up winning this battle and knocking NASCAR down a peg from its high horse. If he can prove he was prescribed Adderall to deal with Attention Deficit Disorder, NASCAR should not have the right to suspend him for the test. A person with ADD uses Adderall to concentrate, and would in fact be more dangerous on track if they did not take the medicine.

Though NASCAR would love for it to go away, this soap opera is not going away anytime soon, and I have a feeling NASCAR and its drug policy are going to have a big pile of egg on their face once all the dust settles.

Give Carl Long a break
After hearing the whole story on Carl Long’s “illegal” engine, I really hope NASCAR cuts him a break this week. Otherwise, the guy will never drive in any major series again, and it would all be because of a minuscule variation from a spec, which he may not have even known about. A war of words has emerged between Long and Ernie Elliott, the engine builder, about who is to blame for the engine not meeting proper NASCAR specifications.

The bottom line is that Long couldn’t afford the fine if it is held up, and he would be forced to stop racing because he can’t pay it. It would be a shame for someone’s racing career, however sporadic it may be, to end like this. The guy just wants to race once in a while, and gained nothing from the so-called cheating. If the NASCAR bigwigs have any semblance of a heart, they’ll look at the situation, recognize this was not a deliberate attempt to cheat and that nothing was gained by it, and give Carl a pass.
Deep down though, I have a feeling they are going to act like Tin Men and rule by the letter of the law, killing a man’s dreams of racing -- all over a measly 0.17 cubic inches.

That’s weak, and is a not-so-subtle way for NASCAR to tell the little guys trying to get into the sport to not even bother, cause they’ll just run you out for the most ludicrous reasons.