rpm.espn.com: Jeremy Mayfield

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Friday, January 17
Updated: January 20, 4:46 PM ET

Jeremy Mayfield
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

Team: Evernham Motorsports
Car/sponsor/make: No. 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge

Jeremy Mayfield
Mayfield

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Best finish

2002 26 0 2 4 2nd (Las Vegas)

Career 3 38 66 1st, 3 times

2002 recap
The good: Even though he suffered through a disappointing season, it was still a much better year for Jeremy Mayfield than 2001, when he was dumped from Penske South Racing with nine races to go in the season. In 2002, his first year with car owner Ray Evernham, Mayfield improved from 35th in 2001 to 26th -- although he has the potential to do better.

Season highlight: Mayfield finished runner-up to Sterling Marlin at Las Vegas. He led 17 laps in that race. He also had a pair of second-row starts, at Bristol, Tenn., and Pocono, Pa.

The bad: Taking over for Casey Atwood behind the wheel of the No. 19 Dodge, Mayfield brought a lot of promise with him. Unfortunately, he was snake-bit. Fortunately, however, Evernham has a multi-year development plan for Mayfield, who he believes can be a superstar with the right guidance and equipment.

Season lowlight: Mayfield was a streaky driver in 2002. The worst streak of all was the 13-event skein from Talladega, Ala., in the spring to Indianapolis in early August, where Mayfield finished 30th or lower in nine of those races.

Jeremy Mayfield
Mayfield hopes to eventually be a title contender under Ray Evernham.

Key stat: Mayfield was knocked out of seven of the first 21 races by either crashes or mechanical failure. It all started in the worst way, when he was part of the 18-car wreck in the season-opener at Daytona, where he finished 39th. From there, it seemed like it was all downhill for Mayfield, who would go on to spend two-thirds of the season finishing 20th or lower.

2003 outlook
What needs to be done: Mayfield has all the elements to be successful. He has a patient owner, top sponsor and excellent crew. The biggest thing he has to do is cut down on mistakes. With eight seasons under his belt, he has to become more patient. If he can do that, Mayfield could make a jump up in the standings, much like when he finished seventh and 11th for Penske in 1998 and '99.

Prediction: Unless he doesn't shake some of the bad luck and mistakes, Mayfield should show improvement in 2003. If he can make his talent mesh with everything around him, he has the potential to make a run at the top-10. He's still probably a year or two away from being a serious contender, but if Evernham continues to have patience, and if Mayfield continues to show progress, he could make a run at the title in a few years.

Your take
Here are your thoughts on Mayfield's prospects for 2003. Will he make a leap in the points, or will he continue to struggle with Evernham's team?

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