Mayfield: New team name, new sponsor, new goals

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1998 | 9:48 a.m.

A new team name, sponsor, teammate and car number aren't the only changes Jeremy Mayfield has had to deal with since the end of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup season.

As a result of team owner Michael Kranefuss' merger with racing magnate Roger Penske to form Penske-Kranefuss Racing, Mayfield's goals for the 1998 season have been drastically altered.

"Our goals are high," said Mayfield, who will drive the No. 12 Mobil 1 Ford Taurus in Sunday's inaugural Las Vegas 400.

"A year ago, we were looking to finish the year in the top 15. This year, we're looking at a top 10, looking to win some races and looking to win some poles."

Just two races into the new season, Mayfield appears to be well on his way to meeting -- and, possibly, exceeding -- those lofty goals.

The 28-year-old native of Owensboro, Ky., posted a third-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 and followed that run with another strong showing last weekend at North Carolina Speedway.

"It's still awfully early in the season but we've had some people sit up and take notice of this Mobile 1 Taurus team so far this season," Mayfield said. "Still, it's early in the year ... we know there is a long way to go."

By virtue of Kranefuss' association with Penske, Mayfield picked up fellow Penske driver Rusty Wallace as a teammate. That, Mayfield said, has been one factor in his team's strong showing this season.

Although he has never raced on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas superspeedway, Mayfield is brimming with confidence as he heads here.

"That might sound almost crazy to talk about confidence when I'm going to a place I've never seen before, but I think we're going to be strong there," Mayfield said.

"Actually, a brand-new track like this puts everyone on equal footing. Dale Earnhardt doesn't have 40 races here under his belt. He and I have run exactly the same number of Winston Cup races at Las Vegas. There are differences in general knowledge and maybe somebody's 'intelligence' is a little better than somebody else's. But, for the most part, everyone is going into this race on pretty equal footing."

That, Mayfield suggested, will make for a competitive race that anybody, including himself, can win.

Mayfield, with 112 Winston Cup starts to his credit, has yet to visit Victory Lane in NASCAR's premier series -- although he said he had the car to do it Sunday at Rockingham.

Fourth in Winston Cup points after two races, Mayfield led the Goodwrench 400 for 17 laps before getting caught up in a second-turn, multi-car crash that left his Ford Taurus with heavy front-end damage.

"We ran great at Rockingham," Mayfield, who finished 14th, said. "That was a totally different track (than Daytona) with a totally different car and we were able to put together a great run. One break and we're not just a top-three car, shoot, we're leading the Winston Cup standings."

While ecstatic with his standing of fourth place in the points, Mayfield is experienced enough to know that it is too early to put too much emphasis on that.

"Shoot, in the one race at Rockingham, we went from the lead in the standings at about the halfway point to fourth place, where we are now," he said. "All that took was one bit of bad luck.

"A small piece of good luck -- if we make it through (the crash) by a hair instead of missing it by a hair -- we easily finish in the top five, maybe the top three again, and even have a shot to win the thing."

And that, Mayfield said, is all he needs -- a shot at being in contention on a regular basis.

"About all you can ask for in this sport is to be in a position to win," he said. "If you are in that position consistently, you are going to win.

"The thing that separates a Rusty Wallace or Jeff Gordon or Dale Jarrett from a lot of other (drivers) is that they are in position to win week in and week out. When you run like that, you're going to win your share of races."