The Mayfields: Plans for the future on their way

This week, the Nextel Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway. After two weeks away from the racetrack, the Mayfields are back, in time for a Friday morning driver announcement for 2007.

Bill Davis Racing is the only organization on the track's schedule of news conferences listed as announcing plans for next season, which makes you go "hmmm?"

This week: Breaking news

	Jeremy and Shana Mayfield Credit: Autostock
	JEREMY MAYFIELD •   Driver Page •   2006 Stats •   Superstore: Mayfield gear •   Jeremy's official Web site

Q: In the space of two weeks, you've gone from the ridiculous, staying home from Watkins Glen, to outrageous joy, an employment announcement; so how does it feel to be coming to Bristol this weekend?

Jeremy: Man, I can't wait because I'm just ready to move on and to move forward. I'm really excited about my announcement that we're going to make, and of all the things that are going to happen in the future.

I can't wait to get started, really -- and I kind of already did get started, because we tested a Car of Tomorrow on Tuesday at Kentucky; but I really can't wait to get it out in public and to let everybody know what's going on.

But I really want to just move forward and move on and close the chapter on Evernham Motorsports.

Shana: We just want to let it all be over.

Jeremy: We're ready to move beyond all the crazy stuff that's happened the last couple of weeks and go ahead and start looking at all of the positive things that are about to happen -- and we've got a ton of 'em so we're real excited.

Shana: I'm excited, too, just to be back. I missed all my buddies at the racetrack -- all my girlfriends like Fifi and DeLana and Eva -- so I'm excited to get back there.

I need to have some girl-time because I've missed seeing those girls. I'm excited to be back and to be seen and to let everyone know we're still alive and breathing -- we're happy and everything's good.

I'm just excited for Jeremy because he's been real happy these last couple days and I think he's gonna be excited to be back and to let everybody know about all the good things he's got going on.

Like he said, it's a new chapter in our lives. We're going to move on and look forward to it and I think it's going to be great. According to his test Tuesday, it looks like it's going to be real good, so we're real excited.

Jeremy Mayfield has five victories in 14 years of Nextel Cup racing. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Jeremy Mayfield's 2006 stats Race Start Finish Status Daytona 26 36 running California 21 22 running Las Vegas 24 25 running Atlanta 20 41 running Bristol 10 16 running Martinsville 23 26 engine Texas 34 31 running Phoenix 28 26 running Talladega 36 13 running Richmond 38 32 running Darlington 30 38 running Charlotte 2 15 running Dover 2 18 running Pocono 26 23 running Michigan 18 36 running Sonoma 32 22 running Daytona 42 36 running Chicago 16 24 running Loudon 37 29 running Pocono 22 37 running Indy 15 41 suspension Average 23.9 27.9

Jeremy: We probably had the best test that I've had since, God, I can't even remember -- that's how good of a test it was. So I'm real excited about that.

That was the first chance I've had to drive that Car of Tomorrow, which I never got a chance to drive when I was at the 19 -- I'd never even really seen one there.

So to be able to see it helped me to understand what it was all about. At first, I didn't really know what to think about it. I didn't understand it and why they were building all that stuff into it.

I really didn't have an opinion on it, but now that I've had a chance to see it and to actually get in it and drive it, I love it. The thing handles great.

Shana: It's kind of funky looking.

Jeremy: Yeah, it's kind of different looking, but I really like it. I like the way that it drives and the team that I was testing with did an awesome job building the car. It drove really, really nice.

Q: Since the breakup with Ray's team started to come down, we've seen everything from the Jeremy Mayfield fan base from a petition to Ray to treat you more fairly, to Internet letter writing campaigns. What do you anticipate the fan reaction being when you return at Bristol?

Shana: I think we'll get a little bit of everything, you know? I think Jeremy Mayfield fans are by far the most loyal and outspoken and most loyal group of fans that are out there -- and they've proven that this summer.

We definitely appreciate that. It makes us happy to know they're out there and supporting Jeremy with such devotion. It makes us feel good that people believe in us and believe in Jeremy and that they'll stick by us in thick and thin.

Of course, you're going to have the other side of it, too -- but that's what makes this sport so great, is that you have vocal supporters on both sides, and that gives you something to talk about.

Jeremy: You're always going to have good publicity and bad publicity.

Shana: You've got the ones who are for you and the ones who are against you. That's what gives you stories to write and makes the sport so diversified, with the fans pulling for so many different people.

But I think it's awesome how the fans have supported Jeremy and myself. Then again, there have been fans that haven't, but I respect their opinions. Everybody's got a point to make.

This weekend will be different. I'm sure we'll be approached and be asked certain things, but it's like Jeremy says, it's time to close that chapter and just move on and talk about the future -- and that's what we want to do.

	Bill Davis currently fields cars for Dave Blaney and Michael Waltrip. Credit: Autostock
	MAYFIELD TO BDR Jeremy Mayfield will announce his plans for 2007 this weekend at Bristol, and all indications are that he will end up driving a Toyota at Bill Davis Racing.  •   Complete story, click here

Jeremy: There's going to be a new me this weekend -- a brand new Jeremy. I'm going to be a changed man. I can be myself and that's who I'm going to be from here on out.

I can't wait and I really do appreciate all the media and all the fans. They've just been unbelievable. I've got good things coming in the future. We'll announce it this weekend and give 'em something else to talk about.

As it is, I've been building an airboat, you know, a swamp boat in my spare time. Well, even though we have a couple ponds on the property, the best place to run it is through the fields.

So I've put some casters on it, off a Maximizer toolbox, and I can run that son of a buck across the ground anywhere. It's got a blown, 525 big block in it, with a LaJoie seat up top.

The bad part is, I haven't figured out how to stop it yet.

Shana: Driver available: Please save him from himself.

Q: This weekend has gone a little crazy, with the announcement going on SPEED's Trackside Friday night and a possibility you'll be in the booth for the Busch race, right? Plus, you're racing a PASS Late Model at Hickory, aren't you?

Jeremy: We're still talking about exactly what's going to happen. Of course, we're doing the announcement and something on Trackside. I'm not sure if I'm going to be there all weekend because I'm going to go and practice the Super Late Model car on Saturday at Hickory and race it on Sunday.

So I've got a little racing I've got to do.

Shana: Jeremy might do the TV deal Friday night. We're not sure yet, but we should know by Thursday. He wants to do any and all the media that he can right now to keep him out there in the public eye.

And he might have something else going on, too -- for the rest of the year, starting in California, so there's a lot going on.

Jeremy: Yeah, we've got some really good things coming together.

Jeremy Mayfield already has another ride lined up for next season. Credit: Autostock

MAYFIELD OUT OF 19 Jeremy Mayfield said in court documents that Ray Evernham's 'personal relationship' with an EMS driver got in the way.  •   Complete story, click here •   Other side: Mayfield knew 'writing was on the wall' •   Chicago: Mayfield frustrated by Evernham's absence •   Chicago: Evernham taken aback by Mayfield's comments •   Watkins Glen: Mayfield gets release from Evernham •   Sadler: Communication will make difference, owner says

Shana: I have a feeling Jeremy will be back at the racetrack in a racecar before the year's out.

Jeremy: It's possibly related to what's being announced Friday, but it may be something else, also -- like a Busch or a Truck opportunity that I might do.

I might be able to do a few more races than I thought, if any of that comes together. If not, along the way we're testing every week from here through the end of the season.

I'm excited about that -- going testing every single week, so we're going to be prepared for 2007.

Q: How do you feel about going to that PASS South race at Hickory? Have you raced there before?

Jeremy: I've never raced there before but I tested a car a couple times for Philip Kranefuss -- Michael's son. I did several tests there helping him but I've never really raced there.

But I have raced the Super Late Models a lot in my past. That was how I learned how to race, really, back home in Kentucky and Nashville and Highland Rim in Tennessee.

Shana: We went and watched a race there one time and they were fighting like crazy!

Jeremy: It was pretty rough.

Shana: And I'm begging Jeremy to let me be his crew chief, but he's like, telling me he'd probably cut the radio off because he wouldn't want to hear me talk.

Well, if he doesn't want me to be his crew chief, I want to be the spotter, because I've always wanted to be able to talk to him when he's on the radio during a race, but he says he'd cut me off -- so I guess I won't win either way.

Jeremy: I'm going to be responsible for my car this weekend. For a change, I'll be able to set the car up the way I want it to drive and not have to worry about telling them the opposite to get what I want.

Shana: I guess I'll be the crew outfit coordinator and I'll get all the guys decked out so they look cute.

Jeremy: You're going to be team director; you just get the pits laid out and all that.

Shana: All the guys we've got working on the farm right now will be his pit crew.

Jeremy: I can tell you this -- the number on my Late Model is going to be 36 -- what I'm going to be running next year.

Q: You know what the biggest tragedy about you getting out of the Dodge camp has been? Your Nextel piñata and hauler crushing the No. 20 ads are gone from the airwaves. Your "nice move, jackass" Magnum car wash ad played last weekend, though, which was cool, didn't you think?

Jeremy: But they probably ran long enough to get their point across, don't you think. I think everybody got that "come on back" about down pat, I think.

They run it quite a bit, so I'm pretty sure everybody pretty much got the picture.

Shana: Seeing the Magnum ad was pretty cool. And I enjoyed watching those Nextel ads because, of course, I enjoyed seeing Jeremy on TV -- but they were funny ads. It was a funny time when they were running all those.

But I'm going to miss the Sprint Nextel ads, because that was a really cool ad. Hopefully Sprint Nextel will ask Jeremy to do something again, once we get our deal settled, because I think he was a pretty good actor.

I thought him and Tony [Stewart] did great together, so I think it would be awesome if they could do it again. He's gotten a lot of positive feedback from that.

It's been so funny the reaction we've gotten from the fans, and you can see what a powerful message those ads carry, because we hear it all the time. Just like with the "Hey, Jeremy" ads, where he'd say, "Is that Octane 93 you're wearing?"

We hear that still to this day so I think we're going to hear the "come on back" one for years to come, too. That just shows you the power of an ad, and I think Nextel did an awesome job with those.

Hopefully it won't be the last time we do something with them.

Jeremy: Yeah. And we've got some good things going for next year, too. We're going to do a lot of commercials next year that are going to be so cool.

They're going to be done by our new sponsor, and they're going to be totally bad. They're going to suit me perfectly.

But doing that Magnum commercial, we did get to slide them around a lot, because we had to drive the cars in the commercial.

Shana: He didn't wreck any, but he said the director was like, nervous, because he'd come sliding through there.

Jeremy: We never did wreck anything. We did pretty good with that. We'd make good stunt drivers, I think.

Shana: And the jackass thing was impromptu -- he wasn't supposed to say that.

Jeremy: Yeah, I just said it for the heck of it, and it stuck.

Shana: He was supposed to say, 'Nice move, Kasey.' And he ended up saying, 'Nice move, jackass.'

Jeremy: Well, that fit the deal better, you know?

Word Association: Back on track

News
Jeremy: News is news -- sometimes good, sometimes bad.
Shana: Stay tuned.

Testing
Jeremy: A ton of it coming every week.
Shana: Exciting for Jeremy, who needs to be in a car.

Thunder Valley
Jeremy: Drag racing. Rough and tough.
Shana: Exciting.