Mayfield's Map to ... California

Each week throughout the season, Jeremy Mayfield and his wife, Shana, share their memories of that weekend's racetrack -- and the happenings around it.

This week: The Sony HD 500 at California Speedway.

Q: Guys, is California the kind of place, for you, that you wish they'd rain the weekend out in advance so you wouldn't have to make the trip?

Shana Mayfield: Nooooo!

	Shana and Jeremy Mayfield
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Jeremy Mayfield: We kind of like going out there (laughing). That's a cool place to go.

Shana: Yeah. There is some great shopping out there, for sure.

Jeremy: And one of my favorite hobby shops is out there. It's called "Ultimate Hobbies."

Q: What's the best thing that recommends it? Does it have different stuff, neat stuff, or what?

Jeremy: They've got the good stuff and the guy that owns it -- his name is Cliff -- he's a huge race fan and he always comes to the races and he gives me great deals on all my hobby stuff.

He helps a lot of the guys on other race teams, too, by giving good prices on everything.

Q: You know, Jeremy -- I was looking at something the other day. Do you race your R/C cars over at Lance Norick's tracks?

Jeremy: I haven't yet, but Lance and I have talked about me coming over there, and stuff. But he does have a lot of R/C cars and he's into it, big time.

Q: Is it kind of the same stuff you're messing around with?

Jeremy: Kind of. They're the same type of cars, but his has more of the jumps and the berms -- like desert racing. My stuff is more oval track -- dirt ovals.

Q: At any rate, it looks like a pretty involved situation he's got going on over there.

Jeremy: Oh yeah, he's into it, big time. I went out to Las Vegas, one time to some big national event that was going on while we were out there, and he was out there racing. He's good.

Q: Shana, despite your recent budget restrictions, I gotta wonder: Do you spend more time in L.A. than at the racetrack in Fontana?

Shana: Well actually, this time we have Bryan and Lisa Harvey going with us. She used to live in California, while Bryan was playing baseball there, so she's got all the connections to the really good shops. So I probably might spend a little more time shopping this time than I usually do.

And since Jeremy's still on Cloud 9 after the win at Michigan -- and hopefully he will be for the next couple weeks and we might even win another race or two -- hopefully he won't care what I spend.

Q: I was gonna say, big bucks for winning is a good thing, right Jeremy?

Shana: Yeah, but I'm still on a budget. I get paid at the beginning of the month, so that'll work out great on the way to California.

Q: Have the dogs ever been to the West Coast?

Shana: I think when Mattie was a baby we took her to Vegas one year. But I think that's about as far out as they've been.

Jeremy: Yeah, that's about it.

Shana: Because we usually stayed in a hotel. But now, Buster brings the coach out, but it's just so much on them. They're getting antsy on the flight and like I've said, Zoë still doesn't understand the potty issue and you never know when she's going to go.

Jeremy and Shana Mayfield celebrate his recent victory at Michigan. Credit: Autostock

Izzy's not a big fan of flying and Mattie -- she doesn't really care, but like Jeremy said, we kind of like to go through a lot more out there and we don't like leaving them in the motorhome by themselves.

Q: Well, I was going to ask you how they dealt with jet lag -- but if they're not going that much, maybe it's not an issue?

Shana: But they do get jet lag, just from an hour flight. You should see them -- on some Mondays you can't even get them up.

Jeremy: They are just worn out.

Q: How do you guys deal with those coast to coast time changes? Does it wear you out when you get there, or do you really feel it when you get back?

Jeremy: I think when you get back; you're pretty much worn out. It takes you a couple weeks to get over it, really.

Not really the jet lag, but just the time change, and after the race and racing at night out there, now -- and then coming back. It's just pretty tough on you.

Max Mayfield: (Snoring).

Shana: I think we've decided what we're going to do, is since it starts at night and by the time we get home, it'll probably be morning, we'll just try to stay up, and try to go to bed early Monday night.

That will kind of get us back on track -- though we always say that, and it never works (laughing).

Q: And then you've got Richmond coming right after that. I guess there's no way around it, is there -- you're just beat up?

Jeremy: We pretty much stay beat up, you know what I mean?

Shana: The schedule is hard on us (laughing), any way you look at it. I think it's hard on everybody, but you just learn to adjust.

Max: (Snoring).

Shana: I mean, like Jeremy and I were saying, you've got a job to do and you know what's coming, so you just deal with it and do the best you can.

Q: California Speedway has that snow-capped mountain -- Cucamonga Peak -- overlooking it. Have you ever been intrigued enough, or had enough time to get over that way?

Jeremy: No, we've never been back up in the mountains, but it's pretty cool that, like you said, you can see the snow up on top of them, and it can be real hot down there where you are.

So that tells you how high they are, but it's always a good sight to see. I remember the first time I was there, and it was kind of foggy one morning -- or smog, or whatever that stuff is they have out there. And I didn't even know there was a mountain back there.

Then, all of a sudden it went away and there was a mountain back there and I was like, "Wow -- that's pretty crazy." That's happened to a lot of people, because you don't even realize that it's there.

	Jeremy Mayfield has one career win at Fontana. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Mayfield at Fontana Year Start Finish 2005 3 28 2004 2 16   20 14 2003 11 35 2002 14 38 2001 3 5 2000 24 1 1999 14 7 1998 2 2 1997 21 12

Q: Have you ever thought, as you flew out to the West Coast and over the mountains and the prairies, what a neat, beautiful country we live in?

Shana: Oh yeah! Like, when you fly over the Grand Canyon.

Jeremy: It is pretty wild when you can see all of that. It's just unbelievable.

Shana: When you fly over, sometimes we see the lights in Las Vegas, and that's cool -- it's beautiful.

Jeremy: And something else you take for granted, but you look around you all the time and all you see is houses, buildings and people; but on the way out there you realize how much land is really out there and how much is left.

There's a ton of land that hasn't even been touched yet. That's what's pretty cool.

Q: It makes you wonder why people want to live on top of each other and not spread out a little bit?

Jeremy: Yeah, I mean, it doesn't make sense when there's New York City all crammed in one little spot and everybody's building buildings straight up there, and all you've got to do is spread out a little bit.

Shana: There's no land left there.

Jeremy: But you can spread out, and make it bigger.

Q: I know this is probably silly, given the schedules that you have, but did you ever attempt to tell the pilot, "Hey, pull over and land this thing right down there?"

Jeremy: Yeah, I have -- like, out there, I've thought about that. I think it would be cool to stop out there early, sometime and see the Grand Canyon and see stuff like that and just check it out.

Shana: But our schedule never really allows it. We always say we're going to, but ...

Jeremy: We probably could pull up for a few hours and do stuff like that -- or leave a day early -- but you always want to be home, too -- so you'll start robbing yourself sometimes.

You say, "I'd like to go out there, but ..." And then you do this. You start trying to squeeze everything into a short period of time and [it doesn't work].

Q: What's your favorite California activity you'd like to do -- even if you don't actually get the chance to do it?

Shana: Celebrate in Victory Lane.

Jeremy: We got a chance to do that, in 2000 (laughing).

Shana: But we want to do it again!

Q: Spoiled, Jeremy. I think this woman has been spoiled by success.

Jeremy: I'm telling you -- putting the pressure on me.

Shana: (Laughing). Yeah, we've done that before, but we'd like to do that again.

Another thing that would be cool, is that I always read those gossip magazines and I've always wanted to go on one of those celebrity home tours, where they take you on the bus and you see where all the people live, you know what I mean?

You'd be on the big bus with the maps and see all the people's homes, because I've always wanted to see where they really lived.

Jeremy: I'd like to become one of the media, or the paparazzi out there and get a camera, and follow people around, taking pictures and stuff.

Q: You know, I actually thought you might get you a low-rider and go cruising down Hollywood Boulevard in something like that -- you know, one of those hydraulic cars?

Jeremy: Oh, I'd love to have a hydraulic car. I'd have, like, a hydraulic hearse.

Shana: Tony Stewart has got one of those.

Jeremy: Yeah, but he doesn't have hydraulics on it. I'm going to put hydraulics on mine and make it look bad -- paint it flat black with flames on it.

Then I'd drive it down Hollywood.

Q: Is California better than average for celebrity sightseeing?

Shana: Yes, for sure.

Jeremy: And I can't ever see anybody. I've never been able to sight one.

Shana: Yes, you have -- you've seen Pamela Anderson and Lindsay Lohan.

Jeremy: But like, Shana -- she can pick them out of a crowd. There will be people at the drivers' meeting and I'll have to look hard or even be introduced before I'll know who they are.

Shana: That's because I'm a TV junkie and a magazine junkie.

Jeremy: She can be there and she'll be saying, "Oh, there's so-and-so and there's so-and-so." And I'm like (puzzled). I don't know how she does that, you know?

Shana: I keep up with the latest news (laughing).

Jeremy: And nobody really looks the same -- they all look different, in person.

Q: Those TV makeup artists do wonders, don't they?

Shana: You saw the governor, didn't you?

Jeremy: I can pick him out, because I've seen him.

Shana: And you saw Magic Johnson.

Jeremy: He didn't have any hair. I wouldn't even know where to look.

Shana: Brian McKnight, we saw a lot of different people. Will Ferrell, remember, from Saturday Night Live?

Jeremy: I saw Johnny Whistleheimer -- I picked him out.

Q: Who the heck is Johnny Whistleheimer?

Jeremy: You probably don't know him, do you?

Shana: He's pulling your leg.

Jeremy: No -- he was the production manager for Gilligan's Island.

Shana: (Laughing).

Q: You had a chance to play Family Feud out there, right? How'd that work out?

Shana: It was the NASCAR version and we played the Harvicks.

Jeremy: We waxed their blank-blank-blank.

Shana: (Laughing).

Q: No kidding?

Jeremy: Yeah, we sent the Harvicks home with their tails tucked, man.

Q: That sounds like fun?

Shana: It was fun.

Jeremy: It was fun.

Shana: DeLana and I had a blast -- a really good time.

Jeremy: DeLana looked cute walking out with her tail tucked.

Q: Now, how long did it take to shoot that?

Shana: It was like an hour or so.

Jeremy: It took a couple hours.

Q: No kidding?

Mayfield's MapJeremy and Shana on the beatiful landscape out West Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Shana: That was so much fun because that was like my dream. I've always wanted to be on a game show, so if NASCAR comes up with another idea, I want to be on Wheel of Fortune next.

Jeremy: Yeah. Wheel of Fortune would be cool. And what's funny is that the host was the dude that played on Tool Time. What was his name?

Shana: You know, the guy that used to be "Al?"

Q: Tim Allen?

Jeremy: No.

Shana: No, it was "Al."

Jeremy: You know "Al" that used to play on Tool Time? That's what I would call him, "Hey, Tool Time guy." I kept calling him "Al," even though his name's not really "Al."

He's the guy that ran the saw and stuff, on Tool Time.

Shana: It was so much fun. Now, that was a really fun time. Pretty cool.

Jeremy: I don't think I got anything right.

Q: Yeah, but you had a good family backing you up, so that's all that matters, right?

Jeremy: That's right (laughing).

Word Association: California

Mountains

Jeremy: Snowcaps.
Shana: Beautiful.

Freeways

Jeremy: Road rage.
Shana: Chaotic.

Hollywood

Jeremy: Ray.
Shana: Superstars.