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Friday, September 7
Mayfield turning things around
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

After 11 finishes of 30th or worse in his first 19 races, Jeremy Mayfield knew his chances of winning the 2001 Winston Cup championship -- let alone even finishing in the top-10 by season's end --- were pretty much over.

But proving that it's never too late to try and improve your lot in life -- or in this case, on the Winston Cup circuit -- Mayfield of late has started to see a turnaround in his up to now poor fortunes by finishing in the top-20 in each of the last six races (a third-place finish, along with two 13th place showings, a 16th place finish and two other 18th place results).


	Jeremy Mayfield last found Victory Lane in 2000, including the NAPA 500 at Fontana.

While that may not be a memorable string for guys like Ricky Rudd or Jeff Gordon, for Mayfield, it's a reaffirmation that his talent and his team's potential are not as bad as they've shown for much of the first two-thirds of the season.

That's also why Mayfield comes into Saturday night's Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond International Raceway bound and determined to start a streak that will allow him to finish this season in a much different way than he began it.

"We're looking at the Richmond race as the beginning of the rest of the season," said Mayfield, pilot of the No. 12 Penske Racing Mobil 1 Ford Taurus. "We've had some great moments and we've had some not-so-great moments the first two-thirds of the year, but we want to get everything back on track, and get back to racing.

"A couple of breaks here or there, and we would have been to Victory Lane already. That's not meant as an excuse as much as what we expect is coming for us."

After having a disappointing campaign last year, finishing 24th in the Cup standings after ending up 11th in 1999 and seventh in 1998, Mayfield came into this season anticipating a return to the top-10 standings.

That was his expectation, but the harsh reality is he comes into Saturday night's race in 21st place, albeit just one point behind No. 20 Bobby Hamilton (Mayfield has 2,483 points, Hamilton has 2,484 points).

At this juncture, if Mayfield can continue his recent streak of consistency, he conceivably could finish in the top-20, perhaps as high as 15th if he catches a few breaks along the way.

"This is a pretty important race for everybody," Mayfield said. "For us it's important from a number of standpoints. These night races -- especially on the short tracks -- always seem to play a big role in how the points shake out. And, even though we're not where we would like to be, the points still matter to us a lot."

Bouncing back
Mayfield almost caught a big break in last Sunday's Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington, but bad luck struck again. Having qualified third and piloting what was arguably the strongest car in the race, Mayfield was running second with two laps to go but hit an oil slick that caused him to lose control and quickly drop to an ultimate and disappointing 13th place finish.

But that is now old news for the 32-year-old native of Owensboro, Ky. With a positive outlook on the remainder of the season, his focus is only on racing Saturday night at Richmond.

However, earning a good finish at Richmond is easier said than done, Mayfield quickly points out.

"Richmond is one of those tracks where every single lap is important," he said. "I know that should be the case everywhere we go and, from a lot of standpoints that's true everywhere, but it really shows at Richmond. Each lap can be crucial.

"For one thing, there are only 400 (laps) and it only takes a little over 21 seconds to click one off. That gives you 21 seconds to get where you want to be, set your car where you want it set and begin making a move you want to make on the next lap. Pit at the wrong time there, and a caution can cost you two or three laps, and definitely will cost you one. Take advantage of somebody's mistake at what is the wrong time for them, and you can find yourself sitting pretty well.

The biggest key to maintaining good track position on Richmond's three-quarter mile D-shaped oval surface is good tires, good driving and good handling. Without all three, a driver has little chance at success there, much the same way as at places like Darlington (S.C.) and Bristol (Tenn.).

"By itself, track position won't necessarily win you a race but it can sure you lose one," Mayfield said. "That is what makes the pit stops so critical and, because of that, makes pit position really important. You want to have lightning fast pit stops and have them in the pit closest to the first turn. That's the place to be.

"We think this Mobil 1 Taurus team can be pretty good at Richmond. Historically, this team has run pretty well at Richmond and we think we can do that this time too. We're excited about getting going again."

Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski covers Winston Cup for ESPN.com.

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