LOUDON, N.H. (July 1, 2007) – Jeremy Mayfield and the No. 36 360 OTC Racing team qualified in the 29th spot for Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 300 after spending Wednesday testing in Connecticut in preparation for the event. Mayfield ran into trouble early in the race and was forced to the garage while the crew made repairs to the front splitter of his Toyota Camry. Mayfield took the checkered flag in the 40th spot

Sitting outside the top 35 in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series owners’ point standings, Mayfield and the 360 OTC Racing team had to make the field for Sunday’s event based on speed. Mayfield was the 39th of 49 competitors to take to the track for his two-lap qualifying run. With an average speed of 127.180 mph, he landed his 360 OTC Toyota Camry solidly in the field for the event.

Mayfield took the green flag for the start of the event and immediately communicated to crew chief David Hyder that the handling of the car was tight. Hyder planned to make chassis adjustments during the first stop. Though the changes made to the car during that stop helped a bit, Mayfield needed more.

Trouble began brewing before the 100-lap mark when the team realized the front splitter of the car was hitting the track and the fender braces on the splitter began to break off. Though the crew wasn’t sure at the time, there was some speculation that the front shock had failed, causing both a vibration that Mayfield had been feeling and the splitter to hit the track surface. Mayfield drove the car into his pit stall, and the crew worked to replace the braces. Mayfield spent a number of laps in the pits before returning to the track only to find that it was necessary to make additional repairs in the garage.

The crew made the needed repairs and sent Mayfield back out on the track. Mayfield’s biggest challenge after that was to just stay out of the way of the race leaders on the flat, one-mile oval while continuing to battle a tight handling condition. Mayfield did just that and finished the event in the 40th position.

The Nextel Cup Series returns to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next weekend for the third restrictor plate race of the season and the second at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Qualifying for the event will be held Friday, and Saturday’s race is scheduled for a 7:55 p.m. ET start. The race will be broadcast on TNT television, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.