Jeremy Mayfield
2007 Rides: No. 36 Bill Davis Racing Toyota (Feb. – Oct), No. 66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet (Oct. – Nov.)
2007 Primary Sponsors: 360 OTC (BDR No. 36), Best Buy (Haas No. 66)
2007 Owners: Bill Davis (No. 36), Gene Haas (No. 66)
Stats: 17 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s, 45th in points
High Point: In a year where Mayfield only managed to qualify 13 times in 32 attempts for Bill Davis Racing while driving the No. 36 360 OTC Toyota, his switch to the Haas CNC Racing No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet was by far the high point of the season. Previously piloted by Jeff Green for the first 32 races, the No. 66 was firmly implanted in the Top 35 in owner points when Mayfield took over, guaranteeing him a starting spot in the remaining four events of 2007. Results were immediate; in only his second race in the No. 66 Chevy (Texas), Mayfield tied his previous best finish of the year, coming to the checkers in 22nd place.
Low Point: Putting all of his racing troubles aside during his tenure at BDR, the September death of Terry Mayfield – Jeremy’s father – at the age of 56 was a devastating blow. Mayfield and his father were close, and it certainly overshadowed any on-track struggles the Owensboro, Ky. native had during the season.
Summary: It was a miserable year to say the least for Mayfield at a team (BDR) that seems to be in total chaos. In August, when it was announced that he would not be driving for BDR after the ’07 season, Mayfield seemed to take it all in stride.
“When I made the decision to move here to BDR with an untested car and a sponsor completely unfamiliar with NASCAR,” he said. “I knew it would be somewhat of a gamble.”
Considering how Mayfield’s season eventually turned out, that just may be the NASCAR-related understatement of the year!
2008 Outlook: While sponsorship of the No. 66 may still be up in the air for the 2008 season – Best Buy will not be returning – the team is currently 31st in the owner points standings, relieving Jeremy of the pressure of having to qualify in on time for at least the first five races. A guaranteed starting spot, coupled with a new crew chief whom he has worked with before (Dave Skog back in 2002 at Evernham Motorsports), likely means Jeremy has nowhere to go but up!
2006 Frontstretch Grade: F
2007 Grade: Uh, can you go lower than F? G, for “Goodness man! Pull yourself together!” Maybe?
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