JEREMY MAYFIELD – AARON’S 499 - TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

TALLADEGA, Ala., (April 30, 2007) – Jeremy Mayfield and the 360 OTC Racing team headed to Talladega Superspeedway optimistic about making the field for the second restrictor plate race of the season. After posting a speed during qualifying that was quick enough to land them solidly in the race, Mayfield went on to finish Sunday’s event in 23rd place.

Mayfield was the 13th of 52 competitors to qualify Saturday morning. 17 teams that stood outside the top 35 in points showed up vying for eight positions and his speeds in the final practice session on Friday gave the 360 OTC crew hope that they would be among the lucky ones. Things went according to plan, and Mayfield’s lap of 50.374 seconds (190.098 mph) placed the No. 36 team in 18th position on the starting grid.

Mayfield took the green flag for the start of the event and remained in the outside line, moving into 22nd place by the third lap. The field broke into three wide racing almost from the start, and Mayfield continued to move forward on the high side moving as high as seventh before the 10th lap of the scheduled 188-lap race and communicating to his 360 OTC crew that the car was good. The first round of pit stops came under green flag conditions on lap 42 and interim crew chief Tommy Baldwin called for right side tires and fuel.

Mayfield held down the 25th spot when the first caution flag flew for debris. Driving onto pit lane, Mayfield stopped in his pit stall for four fresh tires and fuel on lap 75 and took the green for the lap 78 restart in 28th. Mayfield radioed to his crew on lap 85 that the No. 36 car was still really good and he was just biding his time like the rest of his fellow competitors. Mayfield made steady progress toward the front of the drafting pack and broke into the top 10 on lap 114.

A caution flag flew on lap 127 and Baldwin called Mayfield into the pits again for four tires and fuel. Unfortunately, one of the tires that came off the car got away from the crew and rolled across pit lane, prompting NASCAR officials to penalize the team by making them fall to the tail end of the longest line on the lap 130 restart. Mayfield took the green flag in the 34th position.

Mayfield fought his way through the draft and topped off in the seventh position before falling back in the closing laps of the race. A late-race caution flag forced a green-white-checkered-flag finish and the No. 36 Camry lined up in 27th place when the final green flag flew. An accident just after the restart forced NASCAR officials to end the race under caution and Mayfield was scored in 23rd place when the checkered flag waved.

The NEXTEL Cup Series heads to Richmond International Raceway for the first event of the season at the .75-mile oval. Qualifying for the Crown Royal 400 Presented by Jim Stewart will be held Friday evening and Saturday night’s race is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start. The Crown Royal 400 will be broadcast on FOX television, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

360 OTC Racing Event Preview - Talladega Superspeedway
Aaron’s 499 - Talladega Superspeedway News and Notes

· This Week’s Toyota…The No. 36 360 OTC Toyota Camry Jeremy Mayfield is scheduled to drive this weekend in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway is chassis No. 104. The team utilized this same car during Speedweeks earlier this season.

· Mayfield’s Career Stats…Mayfield will make his 406th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start when he takes the green flag Sunday afternoon. He made his first career Cup Series start in October 1993 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and finished 37th (qualified 24th) in his first Cup Series start at Talladega in 1994.

· Mayfield in Talladega…Mayfield has made 24 starts on the 2.66-mile oval during his Cup Series career and has started inside the top 10 on five occasions, including three pole positions. He has also earned two top-10 finishes in competition at the track.

· BDR at Talladega…Competitors driving Bill Davis Racing-owned cars have been racing at the Talladega, Ala., track since 1993 and have made 36 starts. Those drivers have posted one top five finish, five top-10 finishes and have completed 6,240 of 6,723 possible laps (92.8 percent).

· Practice Makes Perfect…Mayfield and the No. 36 360 OTC Racing team spent Tuesday testing their COT at Iowa Speedway in preparation for next weekend’s event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

· Talladega Broadcast Schedule…Qualifying for the Aaron’s 499 is scheduled to start at 11:15 a.m. ET Saturday, April 28. The 188-lap event is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 29, and will broadcast LIVE on FOX (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio.

· Jeremy Mayfield on Talladega Superspeedway…

“We were so close to making the race last weekend in Phoenix, and it was pretty heartbreaking to miss it, especially when you come that close. We’ll see what we can do in Talladega to get back on track. We think our 360 OTC Camry should be good enough to get into the field, so we’re looking forward to getting there. It’s been a tough year, no doubt about it, and we may be down, but we’re not out. This Bill Davis Racing team still has the confidence we need to turn things around, and Talladega would be as good a place to do that as any.”