Jeremy Mayfield - Bristol Preview
Running At Bristol I love Bristol. I don't know what it is. I seem to do okay there. I know it's a place where a lot can happen fast. I almost won the race there last year. We feel pretty good about our chances this time in the No. 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge. We just have to stay out of trouble. I know everyone says that but things happen so fast there, if you can stay out of it, you'll be okay. Getting Around At Bristol Track position is key here. It's key everywhere, but especially here. There's one groove around that race track and nowhere to pass. That's why pit stops are important. You can move up fast or you can get shuffled to the back pretty fast if you aren't careful. New Pit Road Rule At Bristol I see what they're trying to do. They're trying to even it up for everyone who has to pit on the other side. NASCAR's trying to make everything the same. That's good. I think it makes sense. It's going to change your pit strategy now a little bit because that makes things different but it should a good thing. Season So Far We're really starting to come together. We've gotten in some accidents a few races and that's hurt us but we had a great run at Vegas (second). We've moved up like 21 places in the points and I feel like we are starting to find the little things we need to get this team running where we want to be. Sammy (Johns, crew chief) and I are really clicking and that's important. We're moving in the right direction. STATS & FACTS * This weekend's race marks Mayfield's 15th career start at Bristol. He has two top fives, four top 10s and has led two races for a total 297 laps at the track. His first start at the track came in Aug. of 1994, where he started 25th and finished 21st. Mayfield earned his best Darlington finish (third) in last year's Food City 500. In his most recent start at the track, Mayfield started 30th and finished 15th in the 2001 fall race. * In last week's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Jeremy Mayfield worked his way into the top 10 from the 19th starting position and managed to stay there for more than 90 laps. A penalty on pit road put him at the back of the pack, forcing him to work his way back through the field. Contact on the track on lap 134 sent him in to the pits for repairs. The Dew Crew worked efficiently to fix the damage and kept Mayfield in the hunt for positions. Despite body damage to the No. 19 Dodge Intrepid R/T, Mayfield was able to work his way up to the 16th spot. * Mayfield's finish last week moves him up a position in the Winston Cup points to 18th place. He is four points out of the next position and 36 points out of the top 15. * Since the Daytona 500 this Feb., Mayfield has moved up 21 spots in the championship points race (from 39th to 18th). His best overall finish in the points race came in the 1998 season where he ranked seventh at the season's end. * Mayfield's second-place run this year at Las Vegas was his best run at the track and his best overall finish since the 2000 Pennzoil 400 at Homestead-Miami where he finished second. * His second place finish at Las Vegas, qualified Mayfield for the Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus, which will be run at the Charlotte race in May. * Coming into the 2002 season, Mayfield had 237 starts, with six poles (two at Talladega and one at Darlington, Dover, Rockingham, and Texas), three wins (two at Pocono, and one at California), 33 top fives and 58 top 10s. His most recent win came at Pocono in June of 2000.