The Mayfields: Toyota testing, M'ville festering

After getting to visit all their friends at the home-track events at Lowe's Motor Speedway last week, the Mayfields are sitting at home again this weekend while the Nextel Cup Series is at Martinsville.

Jeremy did get his racing fix this week testing his 2007 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Camry at Homestead, but even though he says he'd just grown to like Martinsville's tight confines, the only concrete he and Shana will see this weekend will be the newly poured floors of their barns.

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

This week: Renewing old acquaintances

Q: Well, another Lowe's Motor Speedway fall weekend has come and gone, so what was your take on the affair, with the little bit different perspective you had?

Shana Mayfield: I thought it was fun. It was kind of odd because Jeremy and I didn't get there until after the race started Saturday night -- but at least that took care of the traffic.

But being at the motor home while the race was going on -- and having Jeremy there with us -- was pretty weird because I'd never had that experience before.

But we went up to the Toyota suite and spent some time with Michelle and Mark from 360 OTC, our sponsors for next season. They're just such great people and fun to be around that it's kind of like hanging out with old friends.

Then, we went down to the pits and saw some of our old friends from the 9 car. That was fun because it was good to see those guys and obviously, they were running so well that made it even neater.

And they seemed excited to see Jeremy, so I had fun but then again, it wasn't the same as if you were racing and I think Jeremy kind of had a hard time with that. I think he wanted to get out there as soon as we saw everybody.

Jeremy Mayfield: It wasn't too bad, because I got to see a lot of people -- and it was cool seeing everybody. All that was pretty cool, but you're right -- that's the first time, really in a long time that I've been at a track during a race and not participating.

I mean, I was at Bristol and for the 360 OTC announcement on Friday, but at Lowe's I was able to look at it from a different perspective as far as being on pit road and being up in the Toyota suite, during a race.

It was pretty cool to see how everybody else deals with it, during a race.

CLICK IMAGE FOR RECAP •   Mayfield to drive No. 36 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing

Shana: But you would have rather been in a car, right?

Jeremy: Oh yeah.

Shana: He went out to the track for practice, too, on Thursday.

Jeremy: I watched some practice and I was able to pick up a little bit about car attitudes and lines and things like that, that I wanted to observe from the other side of the fence.

I saw a lot of stuff and I found out it's really hard to tell exactly what's going on from up there on the spotters' stand -- or wherever you're watching from that's not behind the wheel.

It's good that I know what you're supposed to be feeling and doing from the driver's point of view, and it was good that I got a chance to watch it from that different perspective, and I think it helped me a little bit.

Shana: I thought it was cool because he came home and really felt good about it because a lot of people came up to him when they saw him and gave him a lot of support.

I think that was good for Jeremy because it let him know that people out there are still thinking about him and know that he's around. He may have some opportunities come out of it for the rest of the year.

He's been trying to get some things together, so we'll see what happens with that. And Jeremy and I had a pretty cool discussion when we got home that night about how much it really makes you appreciate your job and the privilege of being in this sport.

This whole time off has really given us a whole different perspective on it. While we're in the middle of it we get so caught up in the race of 'we've got to go do this and this and this.' But when you don't have it you can really look back and realize we're all pretty damned lucky to be in this sport.

Q: Jeremy, while you watched your former teammate in practice, did you get the impression he was going to be able to do what he did in the race Saturday night?

Jeremy: I really didn't see him that much, that day in practice, but I knew he had a pretty decent car. And I figured they'd be good, because they've got it all figured out at that track and with that tire.

The guys have spent a lot of time with the tire data. You know, I was there for the first race at Charlotte, and I remember testing there and we were all junk. But they went back and looked at the tire data and the things that they were doing up to that point, they did the exact opposite, pretty much, on their tire pressures and front-end settings.

That really helped them at Charlotte -- and Kasey won there in May. So I knew they had a pretty good grasp on what they needed and it was just a matter of executing their plan, and they did that.

The 10 (Scott Riggs), I think, had the best car, though -- but just didn't get the job done.

Shana: That was how it happened in May -- the 10 and the 19 qualified well and the 9 won the race. It's just how it's happened at Charlotte -- bad luck, or whatever it is.

Jeremy: No, (Kahne's) is just the best team over there. They've got a good bunch of guys, so I expected them to win.

	Jeremy Mayfield is off to a fast start at Toyota. Credit: Autostock
	GETTING A FEEL Jeremy Mayfield, in the first of Bill Davis' new intermediate configuration Camrys to hit the racetrack, put it into the top 10 during Car of Tomorrow testing Monday at Homestead.  •   Complete story, click here

Q: Jeremy, you were part of that big test at Homestead, with your 2007 standard Toyota Camry -- so what was that perspective like, both in the garage and behind the wheel?

Jeremy: First of all, I thought that it was pretty neat that we got to do that, to have an opportunity to go and test early our 2007 car early like that.

And man, we learned a lot. We had a plan before we went down there and we stuck with it and everything went really well, as far as the test went. For me, it was good just to get back on the track and to be around all of the guys.

And I saw a lot of the officials who were down there and got to talk to them a little bit. So for me, it was a little bit different than it was for everybody else.

And we were debuting the '07 Toyota Camry and it was the first time, really, that that car had ever been on a racetrack at a regular test session and we had a lot of good things going on, so it was real positive for me.

Q: I saw a lot of Toyota engineers there, so how did that experience compare to previous tests you did with the Dodge organization?

Jeremy: It was quite a bit different and that was something I was really impressed with. There were a ton of Toyota engineers there -- more than I've ever seen, anywhere, in the sport, really.

And what was cool was that it was very organized. They were everywhere, on their laptop computers and in the trailers -- everywhere. And the thing about it was, we were following out our test plan and nobody stepped on each other or got in each other's way.

There wasn't any confusion going on, whatsoever. It was so organized, the way the TRD guys were handling everything, from the engine side of it all the way to the chassis and aero side of it. All of it was just collecting data, really, on the cars.

Each one of them had their own responsibilities and jobs and I thought it was cool that everybody worked together like that. It was pretty amazing and I've never been around anything like that -- and had that kind of support, ever.

Q: I guess you broke an engine and that ended your test, late on Tuesday -- but before that, how optimistic are you after getting that car on the racetrack, and do you think it will be as competitive as it was when you were seventh on the time sheet Monday evening?

Jeremy: Right, it did compare really well with the '06 cars. And the thing was, that was the first time we'd run one. And of course, I haven't been racing for the last few weeks, but for the first time out, I thought we got a real good baseline-type run on as far as what the body, chassis and engine needs and everything else.

So I think we accomplished more than what I think we thought we were going to, as far as learning the car and I feel like that now, we feel like we've got something that we can build on and hopefully be competitive right out of the box -- and not have to take time to figure it out.

I think that's where Toyota is really good about doing their homework and I can see why, now, with the way they test things and the way the procedures are, it's really going to take a lot of the guesswork out of it.

Shana: For me, I just love hearing the optimism in his voice. It's so good to hear and it's such a pleasant sound after months of going through everything we went through -- it's just pretty good to hear him be optimistic again and so happy again.

Q: This weekend is another race to sit at home -- but since it's Martinsville and things are tight, both inside and outside the facility, is that maybe not a bad thing -- and it's the last chance of the season for payback -- is that an issue?

Jeremy: Oh yeah, people carry that baggage around. I think this weekend is where something big is gonna happen.

Shana: But like I was telling Jeremy, this has been the weirdest Chase. I know we've only had two previous years of it -- but I think this is the year you need to be in the Chase.

Because it seems like when we were in the Chase, we were the only car having bad luck -- or a crew chief leaving halfway through the Chase -- just weird stuff.

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This year, it seems like it's anybody's Chase to win again. So it's weird -- like Mark Martin's mishap the other night, which was so scary -- but there are a lot of freaky little incidents going on and this weekend it will be the same thing.

I think the points could completely change around. I don't know who's going to pay back whom, or what's going to happen, but I know Jeremy usually enjoyed going to Martinsville, so I don't know how much he's going to mind not being there.

Jeremy: And we've run really good there the past couple years -- it's been one of my best tracks. But as far as payback goes, you can make stuff happen there.

Shana: Like Jeremy says, you can make it look like they wrecked themselves, but you really got 'em.

Jeremy: Right. You can make a guy look like he comes down on you every time, and all of a sudden you just don't give and he spins himself out and it looks good, you know?

Shana: Yeah. But I don't know who's going to have a big rivalry or who's going to pay whom back.

Jeremy: It's probably not going to be about rivalries or paybacks -- it'll be about some new stuff getting started.

Word Association: Martinsville slide

Short track
Shana: Check your tempers.
Jeremy: Keep the fenders on it.

Payback
Shana: It's coming.
Jeremy: Soon.

Concrete
Shana: Less grip.
Jeremy: It's expensive for barn floors.