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STATESVILLE — Lisa Mayfield filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against Jeremy Mayfield after he accused his stepmother of taking money from NASCAR in exchange for saying she witnessed Jeremy Mayfield taking methamphetamine.

Lisa Mayfield's attorney filed the suit in Iredell County Superior Court. She seeks in excess of $10,000 in compensatory damages and in excess of $10,000 in punitive damages.

Lisa Mayfield stated in an affidavit for NASCAR earlier this month that she witnessed Jeremy Mayfield taking methamphetamine about 30 times between 1998 and 2005.

She also claimed in the affidavit Jeremy Mayfield "cooked" his own methamphetamine until it became too difficult to obtain the ingredients and that he then bought methamphetamine from others.

Jeremy Mayfield responded by calling his stepmother a "whore" in an interview with ESPN.com and saying "she shot and killed my dad."

In an interview with WSOC, a Charlotte TV station, Jeremy Mayfield said: "NASCAR did a great job, that is pretty much a low blow, especially with a lady who is involved with killing my dad and doesn't like me not one bit and needs the money, and I am sure they made a pretty hefty deal with her."

The death of Jeremy Mayfield's dad, Terry, in 2007 was ruled a suicide, according to an ESPN.com report.

Lisa Mayfield's suit claims that she "has suffered damage to her reputation as the result of the Defendant's defamatory statements &ellipses; and has undergone great mental suffering and emotional distress as a result of the Defendant's action in defaming her."

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com