What's Next for Jeremy Mayfield?
Bill Davis Racing Will Have Butch Leitzinger Race at Infineon
Jeremy Mayfield will watch the Toyota Save Mart 350 from his couch this weekend.
I have received a boatload of emails from concerned Jeremy Mayfield fans this past week after it was announced that he would not make the trip to Sonoma this weekend for the Toyota Save Mart 350.
Instead, road racing ace Butch Leitzinger will attempt the race at Infineon for Bill Davis Racing. Many race fans are likely unfamiliar with Leitzinger, as he has limited experience in NASCAR racing versus other road racing ringers such as Boris Said, Ron Fellows, and Scott Pruett. However, Davis feels that he can give the Toyota entry a better shot at qualifying for the event.
Jeremy Mayfield’s road racing history is far from Jeff Gordon-like, but he has been solid on the two tracks that require right turns; solid enough to at least make the trip to Sonoma.
Let’s do the math. Since 2003, Jeremy Mayfield has posted finishes of 10th, 16th, 30th, 7th, 7th, 11th, and 26th. Not too shabby. And the 30th place finish, which was at Infineon in 2004, is deceiving. After running in the top ten for most of the day, and was clearly headed for another top ten finish, Mayfield had to make an unscheduled pit stop late in the race.
Could this mark the beginning of the end for the Mayfield and Bill Davis relationship? Unfortunately, it appears that Mayfield could soon be searching for employment.
Mayfield’s career has been a tough one to figure out. His Michael Kranefuss-owned team aligned with Penske Racing in 1998, and it appeared as if NASCAR had found that other 20-something to challenge the dominating Jeff Gordon. After three solid seasons with Penske Racing, Mayfield struggled in 2001, and was released before season’s end. Mayfield signed with Evernham Motorsports, but fell off the map in his first season with the Dodge outfit. He came out of the woodworks in 2004, stealing a spot in the Chase for the Championship from the likes of Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Jarrett with his dramatic win at Richmond in September.
After qualifying for the Chase for the Championship in 2004 and 2005, the relationship between Mayfield and former boss Ray Evernham became strained, and that is putting it mildly. Last August, Evernham canned Mayfield in midweek, and a war of words plus a court battle ensued.
After the dust settled, Bill Davis quickly snagged Mayfield from the unemployment line, even saying that he hit the jackpot by signing Mayfield.
In all honesty, most of us expected Mayfield to struggle in his first season with Bill Davis Racing’s Toyota Camry’s, but no one anticipated that he would miss ten of the first fifteen races of the Nextel Cup season. It is not as if Mayfield has performed terribly in race trim. It is qualifying that has been the Achilles heel. When Mayfield does qualify for a race, he normally has a top 20 or top 25 car. He would have likely finished in the top ten at Lowe’s back in May if it were not for an engine failure late in the race.
Mayfield's team has been unable to crack the top 35 in Nextel Cup owner's points, therefore, they have had to qualify their way in.
When the series heads to Loudon, New Hampshire in two weeks, it will become make or break time for Jeremy Mayfield. The only way to salvage his ride at Bill Davis Racing is to make the show every week, and put together solid top 20 finishes. How much longer will 360 OTC put up with their product not being advertised with the 42 others on race day?
The fall of Jeremy Mayfield has been somewhat surprising to me. Back in 2000, I listed the five young drivers that would lead NASCAR into the following decade- Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Matt Kenseth, and yes, Jeremy Mayfield.
As far as his fans are concerned, I really feel for them. Mayfield is a talented driver, and deserves to be racing on Sundays. He just cannot seem to find the right situation, or a team that he is comfortable with.
