Jeremy Mayfield - Darlington Preview

 		
Previous Darlington Runs
I've run pretty well at Darlington, especially the last couple of times. In
2000, I got caught in a couple of wrecks but we were leading there too for
awhile. I finished third in last year's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, and that
was pretty good. We're hoping for another good run for the Dodge Dealers in
the No. 19 Dodge. 

Outlook For This Weekend's Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Hopefully we can have a good run this year too. It's ones of my favorite
places to race. It's a tough place. I've never won there but I've come close
a couple of times. I feel like it kind of owes me one. I think everyone goes
to Darlington kind of feeling like that, but I definitely think I'm due
there.

Keys to Darlington
You really have to race the racetrack at Darlington. I know you hear that a
lot but it's true. You've got to stay out of trouble and stay out of the
wall because you start sliding and then the sand can get on the track. I
don't know how it gets there, but it always seems to get on the racetrack.
That means that you've got to watch your tires because the track can get
pretty abrasive and they wear down fast.

One-Engine Rule
A lot of people were saying that Atlanta was going to be a big test for the
one-engine rule. I'm real proud of our guys. We didn't have any trouble. I
know some people did, but we were able to get out of there without any
problems and that shows you that we're heading in the right direction with
the Evernham Motorsports engine program.

	STATS & FACTS

	*	This weekend's race marks Mayfield's 16th career start at
Darlington.  He has one pole, five top fives, five top 10s and has led seven
races for a total 320 laps at the track.  Mayfield's fourth career pole
position came in Sept. of 2000 at Darlington, where he led 104 out of 120
laps before an accident took him out of the race.  Jeremy earned his best
Darlington finish (second) in March of 1999, leading four times for 48 laps
on the day.  His first start at the track came in Sept. of 1994, where he
started 25th and finished 33rd after an engine failure took him out of the
race.  

	*	Mayfield's most recent start at Darlington came in last
September's Mountain Dew Southern 500, where he started third and finished
13th after leading the race twice for a total of 53 laps. In the 2001
Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Mayfield started 37th and finished third.

	*	After starting 40th in last weekend's MBNA America 500 at
Atlanta, Mayfield spent the day trying to hold on to track position. The No.
19 Dodge Intrepid R/T was tight from the start. The Dew Crew tried various
adjustments throughout the day to correct its handling. Mayfield battled
back up through the field and was able to hold on for a 23rd place finish.
He moves from 18th into the 19th position in the Winston Cup points
standings.

	*	Since the Daytona 500 this Feb., Mayfield has moved up 20
spots in the championship points race (from 39th to 19th).  His best finish
in the points race came in the 1998 season where he ranked seventh at the
end of the year.

	*	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.