Jeremy Mayfield calm, cautious in interview
Bob Pockrass
Bob Pockrass began covering NASCAR in 1992, primarily covering short-track racing and events. He has worked for Street & Smith's Motorsports Group since 2003.
A lot of people have asked me what Jeremy Mayfield was like when he talked to a handful of reporters Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Mayfield was the same Mayfield I’ve always seen. He was standing atop a hospitality hauler talking to one media member when he saw a group of media camped out down below. He came down from the hauler and didn’t try to run away from us.
I’ve never found Mayfield to appear nervous, and he didn’t seem nervous or squirmy when he talked. About the only thing different is that he thought a little bit more about what he was saying – as he admitted he didn’t want to say anything that could impact his legal options.
But Mayfield was his typical self when talking about himself and his future. He was polite. He was fairly blunt. He answered some questions with rhetorical responses. He often said he couldn’t say much more to us, and then we, as media, pried a little further, he remained polite while trying to end the conversation.
Did everything he said make total sense? Not really, but then again, that’s really nothing new with Mayfield, who is one of those drivers who tends to speak quickly and whose thoughts jump around.
Did he sound like a guilty/desperate man or a man who has gotten the shaft? It’s hard to say. He sounded like a man worried about his future. And that’s about all I could gather.
