Jeremy Mayfield Rockingham Preview

 
	

Racing at The Rock
"I've had some luck at Rockingham. I got the pole there a few years back and
have had a few top 10 runs. There's a lot that can happen there though. The
track can change. It's been a year since I raced there. I hope we can have a
good run there this time around. Tires are important and like a lot of the
tracks, if you qualify up front, you've got a better shot." 

Thoughts on the Daytona 500
"It was definitely disappointing. We felt like we had a good car that could
contend. Unfortunately, we got caught up in that wreck. There's really
nothing you can do. There was nowhere to go."

Testing at Atlanta this week
"We tested in Atlanta this week. We definitely learned a few things that we
can use when we go back down there. It's good for me to get a feel for this
No. 19 Dodge as much as I can before we head back to a track. We tested in
Daytona and Las Vegas. We're trying to find out as much as we can before we
go back racing some place."


STATS & FACTS

*	In his 14 NASCAR Winston Cup Series appearances at North Carolina
Speedway Jeremy Mayfield has one top five, three top 10s and one pole
position.  Mayfield's three top-10 finishes have occurred in the last five
races.  He has led in four Rockingham races for a total of 214 laps led at
the track.  In the fall race of 2000, Mayfield led the most laps on the day,
sitting in front for 169 of 393 laps.
*	
*	He made his first Winston Cup Series start at the track on Oct. 23,
1994, at the AC Delco 500 when he started 39th and finished 19th.
*	
*	Mayfield's last pole was at the North Carolina Speedway in the Oct.
20, 2000, Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400.
*	
*	Mayfield participated in the season's first race at Rockingham last
year. He started 13th and finished 38th.  
*	
*	Mayfield's best finish at Rockingham came in the spring race of
1999, where he started fourth and finished fifth in the Dura Lube/Big Kmart
400.

*	Coming into the 2002 season, Mayfield has 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.
 

STORY IDEAS

The Ray Evernham Foundation is the presenting sponsor of the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society's Breakfast of Champions this Saturday at the Hilton
Charlotte and Towers.  This is the foundation's second year as the title
sponsor. The autograph session and silent auction is a benefit for the
organization which is dedicated to finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma,
Hodgkin's disease, myeloma - and to improving the quality of life of
patients and their families.

"The 'Racing for a Reason Foundation' exists to support worthy causes," said
Ray Evernham. "Supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is something we
have been proud and privileged to sponsor for several years.  Their research
has made a tremendous difference for those battling blood related cancers.
Thanks to their efforts, many people, including my son, Ray J, are beating
cancer."