| By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
September 23, 2005
10:55 AM EDT (14:55 GMT)
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 MBNA RacePoints 400 at Dover International Speedway Q: Guys, we're into your second edition of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, so do you have any good luck charms, and is that any more or less of an issue with the Chase -- have you found people sending you stuff? Jeremy Mayfield: Yeah, we have a little bit. We've actually gotten several things. And it's funny that you say that, because we've got a little girl up in Loudon, where we just came from, that always gives me an angel pin that I've still got -- and she gave Shana one last year. We feel like that's kind of our good luck charm, too. We get several things, but I don't really have one thing that I keep with me, or anything. Shana Mayfield: I get a little more superstitious during the Chase -- and I don't know why. Like, if I'm up on the pit box and I have to go to the bathroom I'll wait until Lap 19, or 119 or something like that. I don't know what it is, but I get a little more stupid on things like that. I really don't have any control of the outcome of a race, but sometimes I feel like I do, so I try to do whatever I can. Q: I guess whatever keeps you involved, right -- there's nothing wrong with that. Shana Mayfield: Like last week, I didn't go back to the pit box after I got our luggage together, and I usually do. And we didn't finish that well -- so this week I think I'm staying out there the whole time. It might have been me (that was responsible), you know? I'll take the blame for last week (laughing). Q: Yikes! Jeremy, did you know that? Jeremy Mayfield: Yeah, I knew that, because I'll always ask Shana, "Did you leave?" if we run badly, or something like that. Q: With the Chase for the Nextel Cup, racetracks might do special promotions to build up interest. Now, we don't want to give anyone any ideas, but what do you think the most ridiculous thing a track might try to do in conjunction with the Chase? Jeremy Mayfield: Yeah, Humpy Wheeler was the first one I thought of, when you said that. But I don't know. I think they try too much, sometimes, to put on a pre-race show, you know what I mean? I'm not sure what that would be, because we don't see it or anything, but you hear a lot of stuff going on, bands and all kind of stuff happening outside the motorhome before the race. But I think sometimes they try too hard and the fans -- I'm not sure they're paying attention to that stuff, or not. I don't know if you would consider anything ridiculous or not, but if you've got too much going on it kind of gets them stirred up before the race -- make 'em mad, you know?  |  | | Will Jeremy Mayfield burnout or flame-out in this year's Chase? Credit: Autostock |
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| Inside the Numbers |
| Jeremy Mayfield 2004 Chase |
| Race |
Start |
Finish |
Rank |
| Loudon |
9 |
35 |
10 |
| Dover |
1 |
7 |
10 |
| Talladega |
9 |
38 |
10 |
| Kansas |
3 |
5 |
10 |
| Charlotte |
13 |
30 |
10 |
| Martinsville |
11 |
6 |
10 |
| Atlanta |
11 |
26 |
10 |
| Phoenix |
24 |
21 |
10 |
| Darlington |
10 |
19 |
10 |
| Homestead |
20 |
35 |
10 |
|
|
Q: The Chase puts even more demands into what is already a grueling schedule, so what have you found to be the most serious crimp to your schedule, now that you're into the Chase? Jeremy Mayfield: For me, especially the schedule is so intense that I don't let it get to me -- I just don't let it bother me. We've done a lot of testing recently and we're out of tests, obviously, for the Chase, but there was one time where we were testing every single week -- after race weekends we would fly to the place we were testing. So that makes it tough, but I look at it that it's only making us better and it's only making us tougher, so I just look at it like that -- it's always a positive. But it can get to you, as a driver. It wears your guys out more than anything. Shana Mayfield: I think the last 10 races are really an emotional roller coaster because you always want to start off on a good foot and you're always looking at the points. We're better off this year than we were last year, but you always want to finish better and it's like you go week to week. You're counting them down, whereas before you had 26 races and you didn't do that. Like they've said, it's two different seasons -- and I think (the Chase) is pretty stressful. You don't have any room for error, whatsoever, you know? With 26 races, even if you had two DNFs it doesn't really kill you, but one DNF in the Chase is really going to hurt you pretty badly -- so it's really pretty stressful, I think. When you're in the race, you've got to look at leading at least one lap, because those five bonus points are huge -- all the points are real big. You look at Jimmie Johnson last year, and you think, (he lost by) eight points. My God, if he would have picked up one position on the racetrack and led a lap he'd have won the championship, you know? It's just kind of a stressful thing. Q: After going through the Chase situation one time, Shana, what have you figured out about it -- and what advice might you give to first-timers -- both from a mechanical, schedule part as well as emotionally? Jeremy Mayfield: I think for first-timers, just getting into it was what was really tough. Now that we're in it, we won't settle for anything less than a championship, is what we want. For the first time getting into it, my advice, especially to a young guy, a rookie or anybody who hadn't been in it, would be in the first 26 races to run as hard as you can, take all the chances that you can to get all the points that you can and to race aggressively -- try to put it in places it doesn't need to go and all that. Shana Mayfield: And then, once you're there, you've got to look at it that it's an honor and a privilege to be in the Chase. For your first time to be in it, that's pretty big. Last year, I think we looked at it like, "Wow!" -- especially with the way we got in, was huge and that we were really in there. It wasn't that we weren't expecting to get in there, but we waited until the very last minute and once we were there it was kind of like, "Wow!" It was so big, all of a sudden. But then Loudon (in 2004) was kind of bad for us and it was a roller coaster from there. But I think this year, from now on we know the importance of getting everything we can in every race. The team is a little more experienced, knowing the pressure of last year, and what you have to do in the 10 races. This year, Jeremy definitely wants to win the championship, but if not he wants to finish better than 10th, which is where we were last year, to prove that we're deserving and that we're supposed to be there. Jeremy Mayfield: Obviously it's not too big of an accomplishment to get into the Chase, because we've done it two years in a row. Everybody thinks we got lucky and all that stuff, so what? Shana Mayfield: I don't know about that. Q: Somebody slap him. Shana Mayfield: The media has to pick somebody to finish last, and you're the one, so it's just fun to prove everybody wrong -- and I hope we do it again. Jeremy Mayfield: I think the first 26 races is probably the toughest part of the season -- to get into the Chase. I don't think people realize how hard it is. And I tell you what -- anybody who knocks any team or any driver out there needs to realize that it's a big accomplishment just to get into the thing. And you're not going to do it by being a mediocre race team, or driver or anything like that. Shana Mayfield: Exactly. Q: Do you need to do anything extra for stress relief during the Chase, or is that where having the girls comes in handy? Shana Mayfield: I've noticed I sleep more (laughing). Like, I'm getting really tired. Jeremy gets so mad at me because I'll look at the points and I'll read this, and I'll read that, and he says, "You can't let all this get to you -- we've done what we can do." And I'm like, "I know." I think it's the whole thing that I'm not in control of any part of it, so I think it just eats at me more -- whereas he knows that he's gone out and done everything that he can do and the team's done everything it can do. I don't feel like I have -- and I don't have any control or say-so in it, so it really eats at me. |  | | Credit: Autostock |
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| Inside the Numbers |
| Jeremy Mayfield at Dover |
| Year |
Start |
Finish |
| 1994 |
33 |
24 |
| 1995 |
38 |
17 |
| |
10 |
19 |
| 1996 |
39 |
12 |
| |
36 |
15 |
| 1997 |
25 |
4 |
| |
24 |
23 |
| 1998 |
12 |
5 |
| |
28 |
3 |
| 1999 |
9 |
9 |
| |
4 |
22 |
| 2000 |
5 |
37 |
| |
1 |
35 |
| 2001 |
24 |
34 |
| |
7 |
42 |
| 2002 |
24 |
35 |
| |
11 |
20 |
| 2003 |
3 |
21 |
| |
25 |
2 |
| 2004 |
1 |
8 |
| |
1 |
7 |
| 2005 |
13 |
14 |
| Avg. |
17 |
18.5 |
|
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But the dogs are definitely a big stress reliever. You can hear Max in the background snoring again -- he's not worried about anything, but it's fun to come home to them and they're excited to see us. We missed them big time last week because we were in New York doing a promotion for the Chase and then we went to New Hampshire, so we hadn't got to see them until we got home. But they're a big stress relief, and Jeremy and I just try to kind of chill out during the week. He goes to the race shop and we try not to do anything different in that kind of way -- we just try to keep the normal schedule. We're trying not to change anything that has gotten us to where we're at, right now. Q: In general, what do you guys think about payback? Should you just set up a meeting and go at it with pugil sticks like they have in the Marine Corps, or something like that? Jeremy Mayfield: That's my opinion. It's like, why get on TV and make a butt of yourself? Why look like that? It's not good for your sponsors, and everybody that helps you out. Really, my personal opinion is that every time you get on TV and try to knock somebody down or try to blame them for something -- that makes you look bad. That's something that I try to stay away from and just don't want to be a part of. I'm not saying I haven't, because I have been mad before, but I don't completely go (crazy) and become somebody that I'm not. I can't imagine having enough of a problem with somebody that I'd throw my helmet at them, you know, because first of all I love my helmet. I threw it up in the air at Michigan (after winning) and it about killed me. I'm sure not going to throw it at somebody on the racetrack. Shana Mayfield: And I think you can't affect the outcome of a race, and any time you do something like that you're putting other people in jeopardy, just like what happened to us last year, and no matter if it's under caution. You look at Tony Stewart, who was right behind Michael Waltrip when all that happened. He could have run over his helmet, or anything could have happened, so you can't do those things. I think you should just be a man about it and say "Meet me in the motorhome lot afterwards and we'll discuss it in my motorhome." Jeremy Mayfield: Or just wait until you get home. Shana Mayfield: Right -- but don't get on TV and do something. I think that NASCAR really had their hands full that day. That was very dramatic and I don't know where all that came from. And Kurt Busch was affected, this year -- not by anybody else, but he got wrecked out early and there was a lot of drama there. Like I told Jeremy after the race -- I've never seen so much chaos (laughing) -- and I don't know where it all came from, because like you said it wasn't a lot of Chase people, but I don't know. The emotions were running high and I don't know if it was because there were just a lot of people pi--ed off that they didn't get into the Chase, or just racing like they had something to prove or I don't know. But it was a big deal (laughing). Q: They need to go to Debbie's Petland and get 'em a dog, right? Shana Mayfield: They need to just go somewhere and chill for a little while. Word Association: Dover Crab Cakes
Jeremy: I don't know -- sometimes. Without crawfish
Shana: Yummy! Jackpot
Jeremy: Expensive.
Shana: The championship. Route 13
Jeremy: Lucky.
Shana: Unlucky.
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