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Photography By: VPS Motorimages
Jeremy Mayfield Bristol Pre-Race Report BRISTOL, TENN. (March 12, 2008) – Jeremy Mayfield and the No. 70 Haas Automation team are ready to put the troubles they experienced last week at Atlanta behind them and face the challenge that is Bristol Motor Speedway for Sunday’s running of the Food City 500. “Despite our troubles at Atlanta I feel as though we really learned a lot as a team,” Mayfield said. “That’s the important thing – when you face adversity you have to learn from it, have to take something positive away.” The No. 70 team currently sits in the 34th position in the owner points standings making Sunday’s run at Bristol all the more critical. Following the Bristol race guaranteed starting positions for the rest of the season will go to the Top-35 cars based on 2008 owner points, whereas for the first five races the locked-in cars are set by last season’s final owner points standings. “I think the points situation is just going to make us better,” Mayfield said. “We’re at a critical point in the season but I’m confident the team, myself included, are up to the challenge. Last week was a bad week for us, but you’ll have those kind of weeks. Other than that a blown tire at California is all that’s kept us from being more comfortably in the Top-35,” he added. “I’m excited about Bristol – ready to get after it.” In 25 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway Mayfield has posted two Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes, his best being a 3rd-place finish in March 2001. During his career Mayfield has an average starting position of 21st, an average finish of 20th at Bristol and is credited with 370 laps lead. Sunday’s running of the Food City 500 will be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 2 p.m. and on local PRN affiliates.
Mayfield Rides Out Challenging Weekend FONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2008) -- With a 39th-place finish at the Auto Club Speedway, Jeremy Mayfield found out first hand that in California when it rains it really pours. Rain cancelled Friday’s practice and qualifying session and Mayfield’s No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala SS was relegated to the 33rd starting position (based on last season’s final owner’s points) for the Auto Club 500. Rain again cancelled practice on Saturday after Mayfield had run only five laps. Despite the lack of track time heading into the race, crew chief Dave Skog and the No. 70 Haas CNC Racing team were still optimistic for the race based on a successful test here just a few weeks ago. The team’s optimism was quickly soured however, when Mayfield’s car blew a right rear tire after only 55 laps. The blown tire destroyed the car’s quarter panel and numerous pit stops were needed to alleviate a tire rub from the damaged metal. Mayfield eventually went 10 laps down to the leaders before the race was red flagged for rain. When the race resumed on Monday, Mayfield was relegated to riding out the laps and maybe picking up a position or two through attrition. “The car was really loose at the beginning of the race,” Mayfield said. “But the blown tire really ruined our weekend. With the rain and all of the delays – to have something like that happen just made a bad weekend worse. It’s tough, but we have to keep our heads about us and move forward,” Mayfield said. “We need to stick together and improve as a team. We’ve got to step up to the challenge. A strong finish at Vegas will help.” Following Mayfield’s 39th-place finish he is 34th in points. The No. 70 team now heads to Las Vegas for Sunday’s UAW 400. The race will be broadcast live on FOX at 4:30 p.m. EST and on local PRN affiliates.
JEREMY MAYFIELD CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY PRE-RACE REPORT FONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 21, 2008) – Jeremy Mayfield returns to one of his favorite tracks this weekend as he and the No. 70 Haas Automation team ready for Sunday’s running of the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Mayfield has started 13 of the 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held here, posting one win (April 2000), three Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes. He has started on the outside pole twice and lead during eight races for a total of 60 laps. “California Speedway is one of my favorites. I’ve had some good runs there -- a win a few years back so it ranks right up there,” Mayfield said. “There’s plenty of room to race. If your car is not handling just right, you can move up or down the track to find something that works. “We’re looking forward to the challenges associated with this being the first COT race at an intermediate track,” Mayfield said. “We had a good test here and feel that we made some big gains on our intermediate track program.” Haas CNC Racing’s No. 70 team will be using chassis No. 409 this weekend. It was new in October 2006 and raced last year (as the No. 66) at Bristol in March, Darlington in May, New Hampshire in July, and Watkins Glen in August. Sunday’s running of the Auto Club 500 from California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., will be televised live on FOX beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST and on your local MRN affiliate at 4 p.m. EST.
Mayfield Grinds Out Solid Finish at Daytona Daytona, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2008) – Jeremy Mayfield battled a loose handling car throughout today’s Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway but persevered to a 23rd-place finish in the 50th running of the “Great American Race.” “We started off the day good, but it got to the point where it (the car) was just jumping sideways,” Mayfield said. “Overall we salvaged a good day. The main is that we got a jump on the season points,” he said. Less than 10 laps in the race Mayfield asked crew chief Dave Skog if there was debris on his grill as the oil and water temperature gauges were both pegged to the hot reading. This forced Mayfield to stay out of the draft so that his car could get as much air through the grill as possible. The No. 70 Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon team had its first opportunity to pit the car on Lap 36, taking four tires and fuel and checked the grill for debris – finding the car had indeed picked up some plastic. No handling adjustments were made since Mayfield said he was happy with the way the car was handling. “It’s a little loose, but I think that’s were we need it to be,” Mayfield said. Following the pit stop Mayfield reported that his car was extremely loose and by lap 52 the temperature gauges were again pegged to hot. Skog planned for a stagger adjustment during the next pit stop and also determined that additional plastic on the front end of the car could be creating unexpected down force which would contribute to the loose condition in the rear of the car. On Lap 61 Mayfield said that his car was, “looser than it’s been since we’ve gotten here.” So when the caution came out on Lap 79 for debris on the track his Haas CNC Racing teammates made wedge and trackbar adjustments in an attempt to tighten the car up. More plastic was found on the grill which was causing the hot fluids temperatures. The team took only left side tires so that when the race resumed Mayfield would be the first car a lap down and in position to receive the Lucky Dog pass should there be another quick caution. The loose condition persisted throughout the remainder of the race, but the No. 70 team never gave up and continued to make a number of chassis and air pressure adjustments. A rash of caution flags during the final 50 laps of the race proved fortuitous for the team as they not only provided the opportunity to further adjust the car, but ultimately got Mayfield back on the lead lap. Mayfield was the beneficiary of the Lucky Dog pass when the caution flew on Lap 184. On the Lap 192 restart Mayfield was in the 25th position before ultimately finishing 23rd. Mayfield and the No. 70 team will carry the Haas Automation Inc. colors as they take to the California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., for next Sunday’s running of the Auto Club 500. The race will be televised live on FOX beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST and on your local MRN affiliate at 4 p.m. EST.
Mayfield Ready for Fresh Start Following a 2007 NASCAR Sprint Cup season filled with frustration, Jeremy Mayfield is anxious to make a fresh start in 2008. That opportunity will come when he takes the field for his Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race Thursday behind the wheel of the No. 70 Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon Chevrolet Impala SS. The Gatorade Duel 150 will be Mayfield’s fifth race with Haas CNC Racing but his first with new crew chief Dave Skog. “Our team has a great deal of potential. The resources at the race shop and the support we get from Hendrick Motorsports are awesome,” Mayfield said. “Our cars are the best I’ve had in a long time and I’m positive we’re going to have a great season. We lacked some speed during our first practices and qualifying run here, but Dave and the team are on it and we should be good to go by race time,” Mayfield said. “To carry the colors of Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon during this historic week at Daytona is a real honor. Junior Johnson is a NASCAR legend and to be associated with him during the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 is thrilling, he added.” Mayfield, who rolls off in the 12th position in Thursday’s first qualify race, has six prior starts in the Gatorade qualifying races, posting a best starting position of eighth (2002) and a best finish of 10th (2003). The Gatorade Duel 150s will air live beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday on the SPEED television network and on MRN radio affiliates.
JEREMY MAYFIELD - NO. 66 BEST BUY CHEVROLET - HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY PREVIEW CHASSIS- HAAS CNC RACING CHASSIS NO. 030 – This chassis is brand new to the Haas CNC Racing stable in 2007. The No. 66 team finished 27th with this chassis at Chicagoland Speedway in July, and an accident left the team with a 43rd-place finish with this chassis at Indianapolis in August. Most recently, the team finished 20th with this chassis at Kansas Speedway in September, and Jeremy Mayfield finished 40th in his Haas CNC Racing debut with this car at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October.
With the last race of the season coming up, how do you sum up 2007? “It’s definitely been a trying year, and a learning experience. It was really tough to go to the track every week not knowing if I was going to get to race. As a driver, walking out of the track before race day is one of the hardest things I’ve
ever had to deal with. It just kills you. “The last part of the season has been great, though. It’s been an exciting time these past few weeks, learning a new team and driving a Chevrolet. We’ll be doing a lot of work in the offseason to get ready for 2008, but I like working hard. We’re going to make this a successful operation, and I’m just really proud to be a part of it.”
With the last race of the season coming up, how do you sum up 2007? “We’ve worked harder this year than I have in any other year I’ve been in the sport. This transition from the car we’ve been using over to the Car of tomorrow has been a bear. I think we’ve been away from home more days this year than I’ve ever been, testing a lot and getting ready for next year. It hasn’t been easy. “From the perspective of how the year’s gone, it’s been tough in that respect as well. You know, we’ve worked very hard at the track, but no one’s satisfied with the way we’ve finished. We had a driver change, which was also tough, because he’s a good friend of mine. If you’re in this business long enough, that’s going to happen, though, and we’ve got to look to the future of this team. I’m focused on really getting things on track with the team, and looking forward to a successful 2008.” ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HAAS CNC RACING SHOP: One year ago, the Haas CNC Racing team moved into its new 140,000 square foot facility in the Kannapolis Gateway Business Park in Kannapolis, N.C. The new shop boasts a seven-post shaker rig, used for dynamics testing by the team, and a Haas CNC Machine room, used to build parts and for research and development. Fans can visit the shop by taking Interstate 85 north to Exit 54 to the Kannapolis Parkway and turning right onto Highway 73. Turn left into the Kannapolis Gateway Business Park, and the Haas CNC Racing shop is located at the end of the street. JEREMY MAYFIELD’S HISTORY AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY: In seven NEXTEL Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Jeremy Mayfield has three top-10 finishes. Mayfield’s best starting spot came in his first Cup start at Homestead in 1999, when he qualified eighth. His best finish was a second-place result in the 2000 event, while driving the No. 12 for team owner Michael Kranefuss. HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY: In five NEXTEL Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Haas CNC Racing’s best qualifying effort was a 19th-place starting position, scored by driver Mike Bliss in this race one year ago. The team’s best finish at Homestead was also accomplished by Bliss, who brought his Haas entry home in 12th position in 2005.
Frustration in Phoenix for Mayfield, Haas CNC Racing Team AVONDALE, AZ. (Nov. 11, 2007)– If it were possible to hit the “reset” button on a race weekend, no one could blame driver Jeremy Mayfield and his Haas CNC Racing team for pulling the plug on their tough time at Phoenix International Raceway. The team struggled all weekend to find a setup that worked on the No. 66 Haas Automation Chevrolet, and were only able to post the 40th-fastest time during qualifying on Friday afternoon. The team’s trials continued during both practice sessions on Saturday, and throughout the first two-thirds of Sunday’s 312-lap NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event. Mayfield told his crew chief, Harold Holly, that the No. 66 wouldn’t turn heading into the corners, a “tight” handling condition the team could not alleviate, despite multiple chassis adjustments. In spite of the obstacles, the Haas crew’s “never give up” attitude had them determined to salvage as good a finish as possible on the day. Lady Luck was not showing the team any favors, though, as something broke under the hood of the No. 66 Chevrolet around lap 212, ending the team’s day. Mayfield and his Haas CNC crew were credited with a 39th-place finish. “We could never get a handle on it,” Mayfield said. “We threw a lot of changes at it, but it just wasn’t making the difference we though it should. It’s frustrating when you try everything you know to try, and still can’t get the handle on the car like you want it. We’ve got a lot of work to do during the offseason, but I’m still excited to be here and about our future.” The race was won by Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), marking his fourth win in a row, and his 10th victory of the 2007 season. followed by Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish Network Ford), Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DeWalt Ford), Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Ford) and Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge). Johnson now leads the points standings in the Chase for the Championship by 86 points over second-place Jeff Gordon heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida . Clint Bowyer is still in third, but trails Johnson by 241 points, which mathematically eliminates Bowyer from a chance at the title. Fourth is held by Kyle Busch, and the top-five is rounded out by Tony Stewart. Joe Custer, owner of the No. 66 team, is 31st in points heading into the last race of the year. The NASCAR season closes out next weekend at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway, located about 30 miles south of Miami , Fla. The 400-mile NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race will air live on Sunday, Nov. 18, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on ABC and MRN Radio affiliates.
> Tough Time in Texas - -In Spite of Handling Woes, Mayfield, No. 66 Team Persevere to Finish 22nd FT. WORTH, TX (Nov. 4, 2007) – Jeremy Mayfield and the No. 66 Best Buy Racing team posted a 22nd-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, two laps down to race winner Jimmie Johnson. “We eventually got the car handling better than it was in the early going, but we were already a couple of laps down by that point,” Mayfield said. “We’re still working to dial things in, and I really think we’re making some big strides in a short period of time, but it’s not going to come overnight. We’ll be patient and head to Phoenix and continue to try and improve every week.” Starting from the 36th position, Mayfield fought a loose handling condition on his Best Buy Chevrolet in the early going, resulting in slower lap times than the leaders. On the team’s first pit stop, crew chief Harold Holly called for a two-tire pit stop to help the team gain track position, which moved Mayfield all the up to 24th position on the lap 17 restart. By lap 26, Mayfield had dropped back to the 29th position, telling Holly the car had a tight handling condition off of Turn 2, but that he was still sliding the back end of the car elsewhere on the track. A few laps later, a caution flag allowed Mayfield to pit for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment, and he returned to the race in 34th position. At the tail end of the long green flag run that followed, Mayfield moved up as high as the fourth position when the leaders began making their pit stops. On lap 91, it was the No. 66 team’s turn, with the crew making a four-tire pit stop, adding fuel and making a chassis adjustment to the Best Buy machine. Shortly after Mayfield returned to the track, he went one lap down to the leaders, telling Holly the car was “tight on throttle,” meaning that every time Mayfield mashed the gas pedal, the car did not want to turn. On every pit stop, Holly called for additional tire pressure and chassis adjustments to help improve the car’s handling. While Mayfield’s feedback indicated the changes were improving the car’s handling, the improvements were not substantial enough to allow Mayfield to get back on the lead lap. By lap 204, Mayfield was being shown two laps down to the frontrunners, and he indicated the car was still “sliding the nose,” suggesting a tight handling condition. For the remainder of the event, Mayfield’s track position fluctuated between the 24th and 28th positions in the field, as his Best Buy Chevrolet continued to exhibit tight handling characteristics. On the final pit stop, quick work by the Best Buy pit crew helped Mayfield gain several positions on pit road, and the No. 66 team held on to finish 22nd. Jimmie Johnson scored an impressive ninth win of the 2007 season, battling side-by-side with Matt Kenseth for several laps before Johnson was able to complete the pass and pull away for the victory. While Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) crossed the finish line first, followed by Kenseth (No. 17 DeWalt Ford), Martin Truex, Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) was third, while Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet) and Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge) rounded out the top-five. Johnson’s win gives him the lead among the 12 drivers in the Chase for the Championship, while Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), who finished seventh in the event, is now 30 points back. Third place in the standings belongs to Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevy), who is being shown 181 points back from Johnson, while Kyle Busch (-339 points) and Carl Edwards (-357 points) round out the top-five. The series now heads further west to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) where the No. 66 team found success earlier this season. In the April event there, the Best Buy crew scored a 14th-place starting spot and a sixth-place finish in the Car of Tomorrow, marking the strongest qualifying effort and finish at that track by a Haas CNC Racing entry since the team’s inception. The 312-lap, 500-kilometer NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race airs live from PIR on Sunday, November 11, beginning at 3 p.m. EST on ABC and MRN Radio affiliates.
> JEREMY MAYFIELD NO. 66 BEST BUY HAAS CNC RACING CHEVROLET TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREVIEW MOST RECENT RACE AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY : In the April, 2007, race at Texas Motor Speedway, driver Jeff Green and the No. 66 Haas CNC Racing team fought a tight handling condition for most of the day. The handling issues caused Green to eventually go two laps down to the race leaders, and his Best Buy Racing team finished the event in 26th position.
CHASSIS – Haas CNC Racing Chassis No. 028 – New to the Haas CNC Racing stable this season, this chassis is the same car Jeff Green drove at both Pocono Raceway races this season, as well as both Michigan (International Speedway) events. Green posted a
After your first week with the team, how do you feel about how everything is going so far? “I’m really happy. I feel like I’m in a really good position with a team that’s on the rise. Obviously we’re disappointed with how we qualified and finished this past weekend, but Harold (Holly, crew chief) and I learned a lot about each other and how to speak each other’s language in terms of how the car is handling, so it was a great learning experience for the both of us. “After we wrecked on Sunday, I spent a lot of time talking to Matt (Borland, Haas CNC Racing’s competition director) in the garage while the team was working on the car, talking with him about how the car was handling. He’s a really smart guy, and he was just absorbing everything I was telling him and gathering information to make the car better at Texas . There are really good people on the team, and Matt is really working hard to take everyone to the next level. “As I said last week, we all know success is not going to come overnight, but we’ll just keep working and making gains on it and doing our best to get better every week, and we’ll get there. I have no doubt about that.”
How did you feel about your first race with a new driver? “Well, it definitely wasn’t what we were looking for in terms of a good finish or even a good starting spot, but I was very pleased with how the team performed during the race. Our pit crew turned some of their fastest pit stops of the season. We had a couple of four-tire stops that were under 13 seconds and helped us gain some spots coming out of the pits, so I’m very proud of the job they did on pit road. “As far as Jeremy, I’m enjoying getting to know him. We’re still just feeling out the situation, figuring out how he likes his cars to handle and getting on the same page, but he’s been great to deal with and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year and 2008. There’s no doubt the guy’s a talented driver. We just need to get a little more time together under our belts and I think we’ll see some really great things.” JEREMY MAYFIELD’S HISTORY AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY : In 11 NEXTEL Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, driver Jeremy Mayfield has four finishes of 20th or better, including two top-10’s and one top-five. Both of Mayfield’s top-10 runs came while driving the No. 12 entry for team owner Michael Kranefuss. Mayfield’s best finish was a fifth-place run in the March, 1999, event, and his best starting position came one year earlier, when he started on the pole in the March, 1998, race at Texas. HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY : In eight Nextel Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, the Haas CNC Racing team scored its best starting spot in April, 2006, when Jeff Green qualified fourth. The team’s best finish at Texas came in this race one year ago, when Green finished 13th.
> MAYFIELD TO RUN NO. 66 FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Haas CNC Racing announced today that Jeremy Mayfield will drive the team’s No. 66 NASCAR Nextel Cup entry for the remainder of the 2007 season, beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mayfield will also drive for Haas CNC Racing during the 2008 Sprint Cup season although the car he
will drive has not been determined.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity with Haas CNC Racing,” Mayfield said. “Every indication is that this is a team with unlimited potential. The shop is state-of-the-art, the equipment is first rate, there is an outstanding relationship with Hendrick Motorsports here, and it’s my challenge to make it all equal success on the track,” he said. “I’m ready to see how far I can take it. ”“We’re very happy to welcome Jeremy Mayfield to Haas CNC Racing,” team general manager Joe Custer said. “Jeremy has a proven success record and we will be relying on his skill, experience, and leadership to improve our overall team performance. Jeremy’s not far removed from being a Chase contender and I know he’s motivated to get back to that level,” Custer said. “We’re confident in our equipment and Jeremy knows how to get it done, so I think it’s a very exciting opportunity for us.”
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