Rusty Wallace drives his damaged No. 2 Dodge back to the pits. Credit: Autostock

Wallace, Mayfield find trouble again in Chase

HAMPTON, Ga. -- The numbers don't lie: This weekend was the worst of the year for Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield, and it couldn't have occurred at a worse time.

The two Dodge drivers made the Chase for the Nextel Cup by relying on their ability to avoid trouble week after week, but that very skill abandoned them during the critical October stretch.

Inside the Chase Standings after Atlanta Pos. Driver Pts. Behind 1. T. Stewart 6,100 -- 2. J. Johnson 6,057 -43 3. G. Biffle 6,025 -75 4. C. Edwards 5,993 -107 5. R. Newman 5,993 -107 • Race Results, click here • Point Standings, click here • Lap-by-Lap, click here Inside the Numbers Wallace and Mayfield Chase results Race Wallace Mayfield Loudon 6 16 Dover 3 7 Talladega 25 14 Kansas 7 16 Charlotte 24 11 Martinsville 19 28 Atlanta 37 38 Final lapsEdwards cruises to the checkers to complete the AMS sweep Early troubleChase driver Rusty Wallace gets caught in a wreck on Lap 5 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500Catch all the racing highlights from Atlanta Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Wallace started the month with a wreck at Talladega. He was running 10th when he blew a tire at Charlotte. He was running fifth when he was spun in the closing laps at Martinsville.

Tons of potential points down the drain.

"It's hard to take after you've come this long with no problems," said Wallace, who dropped two spots to eighth in the standings. "Really disappointed what has happened the last three weeks."

For Wallace, the problems were especially hard to digest. He was especially disappointed after an early crash forced him into the garage at Atlanta.

"The 66 [Kevin Lepage] spun and I started to go high and he kept sliding straight," said Wallace. "I couldn't avoid him. I got him in the door and it was just enough to bend up the front end."

The damage wasn't severe, but the car developed a fender rub, sending Wallace to the garage.

"All of a sudden left front blew out because the left-front was hitting it," Wallace said. "I just went behind the wall and fixed it so we don't kill the driver."

Wallace wound up 37th. It was his worst finish of the year. Ditto for Mayfield, who was right behind him in 38th.

Mayfield hasn't bent much sheet metal all year, but ill-handling cars have plagued him all month. The struggles culminated last week with the release of crew chief Slugger Labbe.

Like Wallace, Mayfield didn't get much a chance to get going at Atlanta. He had a flywheel failure on Lap 42 and spent 100 laps in the garage for repairs.

It was the first time all season he'd been forced to the garage with a mechanical issue.

"We have not had any failures whatsoever," said Mayfield. That is why it's hard to say anything about these guys. This team has been really good at not having something like this happen."

Mayfield has just one top-10 since the Chase started, and he is flirting with his second straight 10th-place finish in the Nextel Cup standings.

"We haven't been able to run good in the Chase yet," Mayfield said. "We'll get it one day."