Waid's World
A NASCAR BLOG BY Steve Waid
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Mayfield’s chances are slim, not impossible
Jul
22
Jeremy Mayfield has made it clear he’s hoping for another chance to compete on the Sprint Cup circuit. He said that with the proper team and equipment, he can return to competitive form.
I’m sure he could.
But the odds are long that Mayfield is going to be afforded such an opportunity.
Mayfield has been out of action after making just a handful of starts this season with Haas CNC Racing, the nadir of the downward spiral his career had become in recent years.
In 2007, Mayfield raced for Bill Davis’ fledgling Toyota team, which failed to qualify for half the races and suffered sponsorship problems.
One thing Mayfield knows about NASCAR is that if a driver is out of sight, it won’t be long before he’s out of mind.
Again, Mayfield has the credentials to be among those considered by one of the teams currently seeking a driver. In fact, his record is better than many of the competitors that fill each 43-car field.
He has five wins, 96 top-10 finishes, and he made the Chase in 2004 and 2005.
He had periods of productivity during his four-year tenure with Penske Racing and the nearly five seasons he spent with Ray Evernham.
But Mayfield spoke ill of both organizations and exposed some dirty laundry at Evernham when he suggested his team owner was tending more to his personal life than his race team.
Mayfield admits he’s made mistakes.
One way he’s willing to make up for them is to work without a contract and a percentage of the winnings in lieu of a guaranteed salary.
Have to admit, any driver willing to do that is one who is desperate to get back into the fold.
But the suspicion here is that owners might consider Mayfield a potential troublemaker; a driver who says or does things beyond the boundaries and creates unwanted friction.
However, it could be that an owner who takes a chance on Mayfield may find him to be contrite and more than willing to keep his mouth shut.
And he does have those credentials.
Again, it doesn’t seem likely Mayfield is going to get the kind of ride he would like, but there is this: If he sticks to his offered financial arrangements, any potential new boss is going to get an absolute bargain.
I’m sure he could.
But the odds are long that Mayfield is going to be afforded such an opportunity.
Mayfield has been out of action after making just a handful of starts this season with Haas CNC Racing, the nadir of the downward spiral his career had become in recent years.
In 2007, Mayfield raced for Bill Davis’ fledgling Toyota team, which failed to qualify for half the races and suffered sponsorship problems.
One thing Mayfield knows about NASCAR is that if a driver is out of sight, it won’t be long before he’s out of mind.
Again, Mayfield has the credentials to be among those considered by one of the teams currently seeking a driver. In fact, his record is better than many of the competitors that fill each 43-car field.
He has five wins, 96 top-10 finishes, and he made the Chase in 2004 and 2005.
He had periods of productivity during his four-year tenure with Penske Racing and the nearly five seasons he spent with Ray Evernham.
But Mayfield spoke ill of both organizations and exposed some dirty laundry at Evernham when he suggested his team owner was tending more to his personal life than his race team.
Mayfield admits he’s made mistakes.
One way he’s willing to make up for them is to work without a contract and a percentage of the winnings in lieu of a guaranteed salary.
Have to admit, any driver willing to do that is one who is desperate to get back into the fold.
But the suspicion here is that owners might consider Mayfield a potential troublemaker; a driver who says or does things beyond the boundaries and creates unwanted friction.
However, it could be that an owner who takes a chance on Mayfield may find him to be contrite and more than willing to keep his mouth shut.
And he does have those credentials.
Again, it doesn’t seem likely Mayfield is going to get the kind of ride he would like, but there is this: If he sticks to his offered financial arrangements, any potential new boss is going to get an absolute bargain.
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Comments
4 responses to "Mayfield’s chances are slim, not impossible"
Bill said:
Jul 27, 2008 at 10:24 AMHe should of kept his thoughts to himself with Evernham's personal life. I would be weary if i wanted him on my team.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportkeith manning said:
Jul 28, 2008 at 1:42 PMWhat did Jeremy say that all of Nascar didn't already know about. Ray was dateing an employee everyone knew that. If you think Drivers who speak there mind should never get another cup ride then you would have eliminated almost half of the garage and that includes some of the top 5 drivers. Kyle Bush, Biffle, Earnhardt, Newman have all had not so kind words directeted towards their race team and owners.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSteve C said:
Jul 30, 2008 at 6:34 AMMayfeild is a good driver, he needs to talk to some of the Teams who are 25th to 43rd in points. If he keeps his mouth shut he has the experence to bring a well funded lower tier team to the top 12. His offer to drive without a contract is an offer a lower tier team needs to concider. Good luck Mayfeild.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportchris camino said:
Jul 30, 2008 at 9:16 PMMayfield should take his lumps and go rebuild his career in the truck series. The boy can drive. He just needs a fresh start.
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