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JEREMY MAYFIELD – AUTISM SPEAKS 400 DOVER, Del. (June 4, 2007) – Making its second consecutive start of the season, the 360 OTC Racing team looked forward to capitalizing on a 20th-place starting spot. Unfortunately, driver Jeremy Mayfield encountered an ill-handling racecar right from the start of the Autism Speaks 400 and, after three flat tires in the first 240-laps of the race, took the checkered flag in 38th place.
Sitting outside the top 35, Mayfield and the 360 OTC Racing team had to make the field for Sunday’s event based on speed. Competing with 13 other teams for eight positions, Mayfield was the 41st of 49 competitors to take to the track for his two-lap qualifying run. With an average speed of 150.470 mph, he landed his
360 OTC Toyota Camry solidly in the field for the event. For the third time this season, NASCAR Nextel Cup teams spent an extra day at the race track as rain blanketed the Dover area for much of the day Sunday. NASCAR was quick to make the decision to send the fans and crews home and try to give it another shot Monday at Noon. Though it continued to rain overnight and into the morning and the skies were overcast for most of the day, the Autism Speaks 400 began at the scheduled time Monday. Mayfield lined up in the 20th spot and stood in 25th during the first of two competition cautions. Making a pit stop on lap 27 the team went to work to change all four tires, fill the 360 OTC Camry with fuel and make both air and chassis adjustments in an effort to loosen up the car off the corners. Mayfield returned to the track in 30th place, but fell through the field as he battled his racecar, which was still tight on exit. Crew chief David Hyder, who took over the reigns this week, made additional changes to the car including wedge and air pressure adjustments during the next competition caution on lap 68. Mayfield was running in the 36th spot when he radioed to the team that he felt like there was something wrong with the car. Sure enough, several laps later Mayfield was forced to duck down pit road to the attention of his awaiting crew when he realized he had a right rear tire going flat. The No. 36 machine went several laps down to the leaders and when a yellow flag waved on lap 136 of the 400-lap event, Mayfield held down 42nd spot. Mayfield’s Toyota Camry continued to be a handful, and things didn’t get any better when, once again, the veteran driver communicated to the crew that he had another right rear flat. He headed for pit road once again on lap 197 for four fresh tires and fuel. Adding insult to injury, the No. 36 car was caught speeding leaving the pits and was forced to return for a pass-through penalty. After serving his penalty Mayfield rejoined the field, and at the halfway point of the event stood in 42nd place. Unbelievably, Mayfield called Hyder on lap 234 reporting another flat tire and stopped in his pit stall several laps later for service. Not long after that stop he let the team know that the front end of the car was bouncing and that something didn’t feel right. The team spent two pit stops and lost several laps working to put a rubber in the right front spring in an effort to help the front end. Mayfield reported to the crew not long later that the handling of the car was getting “worse by the minute”. Not wanting to risk the safety of the driver, Hyder made the decision to bring Mayfield into the garage area to change right side springs with just under 100 laps to go. Though the team lost about 10 laps in the process, the changes helped and Mayfield was able to ride it out until the end, eventually taking the checkered flag in 38th place. Next weekend the Nextel Cup Series heads to Pocono (Penn.) Raceway for the first event of the season at the 2.5-mile track. Qualifying for the Pocono 500 will be held Friday afternoon and Sunday evening’s race is scheduled for a 2:10 p.m. ET start. The Pocono 500 will be broadcast on TNT television, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.
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