Jeremy Mayfield No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet Atlanta Motor Speedway Preview

JEREMY MAYFIELD TO DRIVE NO. 66 ENTRY FOR REMAINDER OF 2007 SEASON – Haas CNC Racing announced Monday, Oct. 22,  that Jeremy Mayfield will drive the team’s No. 66 NASCAR Nextel Cup entry for the remainder of the 2007 season, beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Mayfield will also drive for Haas CNC Racing during the 2008 Sprint Cup season, although the car he will drive has not been determined.

Driver Jeremy Mayfield – “I’m very excited about this opportunity with Haas CNC Racing. Every indication is that this is a team with unlimited potential. The shop is state-of-the-art, the equipment is first rate, there is an outstanding relationship with Hendrick Motorsports here, and it’s my challenge to make it all equal success on the track. I’m ready to see how far I can take it.”

Haas CNC Racing General Manager, Joe Custer – “We’re very happy to welcome Jeremy Mayfield to Haas CNC Racing. Jeremy has a proven success record and we will be relying on his skill, experience, and leadership to improve our overall team performance. Jeremy’s not far removed from being a Chase contender and I know he’s motivated to get back to that level. We’re confident in our equipment and Jeremy knows how to get it done, so this is a very exciting opportunity for us.”

CHASSIS- HAAS CNC RACING CHASSIS NO. 030 – This chassis is brand new to the Haas CNC Racing stable in 2007. Driver Jeff Green drove this car to a 27th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in July, and an accident left the No. 66 team with a 43rd-place finish with this chassis at Indianapolis in August. Most recently, Green finished 20th with this car at Kansas Speedway last month.

Q&A WITH DRIVER JEREMY MAYFIELD
You’ve been over to the Haas shops this week, meeting everyone and touring the facility. What’s your initial impression of the operation? “My initial impression is that it’s unbelievable. It’s been awesome to see what all they’ve got going on over there and meet all the guys. There’s so much potential there, it’s just amazing. Just to see all the engineering they have and all the equipment they’ve got to race with is very exciting for me as a driver.”

How much of a relief is it to know you’re in the top-35 in points? “Going into this week and knowing I’m going to race on Sunday is a great relief. We can go out and do race practice on Friday and do what we need to do and not have to worry about making the race. That’s something I haven’t been used to this year. It’s going to be a huge difference in my mindset. I can already feel it right now. All week, I’ve been in a great mood and am just looking forward to getting on the track on Friday. I haven’t really had that feeling much this year, because we’ve been struggling and it’s just been one thing after another. I’ll definitely be in a different mindset this weekend, and hopefully that will show in the way we qualify and race.”

Working with a new crew always has a learning curve attached to it. Do you think you can get acclimated quickly? “I feel really good walking right in, but it very well could take a couple of weeks to get to where we want to be, or it could take through the rest of the season. I hope not, but you never know. So far, I’ve been in the shop the past few days and I’ve been to pit practice with the guys and sat in on meetings and gotten to know (crew chief) Harold Holly a lot better than I’ve ever known him. I’ve just been learning how they do things, and I think they’ve already got a good idea of what I like in a race car. These last four races are all about getting ready for next year. If we can go to Atlanta and run well, it’s definitely going to be a great confidence booster for the entire team, but if it’s not this week, I know it’s going to happen because there’s so much potential there.”

Speaking of Atlanta Motor Speedway, is it a track you enjoy? “I love Atlanta. It’s one of my favorite race tracks. It seems like most of the mile-and-a-half tracks have been really good to me. I couldn’t really ask for a better track for my first race with this new opportunity. We’ve just got to go in with open minds and learn all we can and I think the rest will just fall in place for us.”

JEREMY MAYFIELD’S HISTORY AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY: In 21 Cup series starts at Atlanta, Jeremy Mayfield’s best starting spot came in March, 1996, when he qualified fourth in a Cale Yarborough-owned entry. His best finish was a runner-up effort in an Evernham Motorsports entry in March, 2004. Mayfield has not competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway since March, 2006, when he finished 41st.

HAAS CNC RACING’S HISTORY AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY: In 10 Cup series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Haas CNC Racing has finished in the 13th position three different times. Ward Burton accomplished the feat in the second Atlanta race of 2003 and the first Atlanta race in 2004, and Mike Bliss finished there again in Oct., 2005.