Jeremy Mayfield - Texas Preview
RACING AT TEXAS "I don't know what to expect. We haven't been there since it's been repaved. I've heard a lot of good things about it. It's been a good place for me. We've run good there in the past and I've also gotten into some trouble. I went through the grass and messed up my nose, but I like it. It's a good place to race." DESCRIBE THE TRACK "The track is different. It's kind of like a Chicago now that we've raced there and can compare it. Before that, people used to compare it to Charlotte. The way the banking and transitions are it's kind of like Chicago or Kansas City. I like it. It's smooth and fast. You've got to have a good handling racecar. I know that. You can't be tight. Most people get tight there. We're definitely working on that for the No. 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge." CHEMISTRY OF THE TEAM "I have said before that we've been searching, and that's something that I want to explain a little bit. When I say we're searching, I don't mean that we're missing something. I feel like we've set our target on a couple of areas that'll help us. These guys are working hard every day. I'm most impressed with how much everyone wants to get better. I think that's how you build a good team. Even if you're the very best, you should always look for ways to be better, because if you don't you won't be the best for long. That's what I feel like we're doing." STATS & FACTS * This weekend's race marks Mayfield's sixth career visit to Texas. He has one pole, one top five finish, two top 10s and has led three races for a total 121 laps at the track. Mayfield earned his best finish at the track (fifth) in 1999. He took the pole in 1998 and led the most laps on the day (101), but finished three laps down in the 23rd position. In his most recent start at the track, Mayfield started 14th and finished 22nd in last year's Harrah's 500 after being slowed down in a mid-race accident. * In the Bristol race two weeks ago, Mayfield benefited from an excellent starting spot after finishing third in Friday's qualifying session. It was his best qualifying effort at the half-mile track. His car was loose at the start, but early adjustments to the trackbar and air pressure made the car manageable and put Mayfield in a position to start making up the ground he lost while handling the loose car. Pit strategy became even more important in the final 100 laps of the race. The No. 19 Dodge Intrepid R/T stayed out with the race leaders with just under 100 laps to go. The move put Mayfield in the top five, and with less than 15 laps to go crew chief Sammy Johns opted to bring Mayfield in for four tires in an attempt to hold off competitors on fresher tires. The move kept Mayfield in the top 15 and he finished the race in 14th place. * Mayfield's finish at Bristol holds him at 18th place in the Winston Cup points race. He is only 39 points out of the 15th position. Since the Daytona 500 this February, 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. Currently, the finish is Mayfield's only top 10 this year. * 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.