Jeremy Mayfield | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mayfield celebrating after winning the 1998 Pocono 500
|
|||||||
Born | Jeremy Allen Mayfield May 27, 1969 Owensboro, Kentucky |
||||||
Awards | 1993 ARCA Rookie of the Year 1987 Kentucky Motor Speedway Rookie of the Year |
||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
433 races run over 17 years | |||||||
Best finish | 7th (1998) | ||||||
First race | 1993 Mello Yello 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
Last race | 2009 Crown Royal Presents the Russell Friedman 400 (Richmond) | ||||||
First win | 1998 Pocono 500 (Pocono) | ||||||
Last win | 2005 GFS Marketplace 400 (Michigan) | ||||||
|
|||||||
NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
36 races run over 6 years | |||||||
Best finish | 43rd (1996) | ||||||
First race | 1995 Goodwrench 200 (Rockingham) | ||||||
Last race | 2006 Stater Brothers 300 (Fontana) | ||||||
|
|||||||
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career | |||||||
3 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 65th (2006) | ||||||
First race | 2003 Hardee's 200 (Charlotte) | ||||||
Last race | 2006 EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts (Atlanta) | ||||||
|
|||||||
Statistics current as of December 19, 2012. |
Jeremy Allen Mayfield (born May 27, 1969) is a former American driver who competed in NASCAR between 1993 and 2009. He drove cars for the Sadler brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas. In 2009, he drove for his own team, Mayfield Motorsports.
On May 9, 2009, Mayfield was suspended indefinitely as both owner and driver by NASCAR following what NASCAR said was a positive test for methamphetamine. A federal judge weighed the evidence and subsequently temporarily lifted the suspension on July 1, 2009. On July 15, 2009, it was revealed by NASCAR that Mayfield had for the second time tested positive for methamphetamine after failing a random drug test on July 6. On July 24, a federal appeals court overturned the previous injunction Mayfield had been awarded, leaving him suspended from the sport.
Mayfield began racing in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, racing BMX bicycles. He then proceeded to race go-karts at local Short tracks; moving to Nashville Speedway USA at the age of 19. He soon went to work for Sadler Brothers Racing as a fabricator, and became their driver, winning Late Model Rookie of the Year at Kentucky Motor Speedway in 1987.
In 1993, he joined the ARCA series, and was named Rookie of the Year.
Mayfield made his Cup debut in the 1993 Mello Yello 500; starting 30th and finishing 29th in the No. 95 Earl Sadler-owned Ford Thunderbird. In 1994, Mayfield declared he would run for NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and signed to drive the Sadler Brothers' No. 95 Ford. He resumed his role as that team's sheetmetal man in 1995, and signed to drive the No. 02 for T.W. Taylor, for four races before completing the year in the No. 98 Fingerhut-sponsored Ford for Cale Yarborough. He ran 20 starts in his inaugural season, his best finish a 19th at Rockingham. In 1995, he stayed with Yarborough full-time, and had an eighth-place run at the Miller Genuine Draft 500, with a 31st-place finish in the points standings after qualifying for 27 out of 31 races. The next season, he had two top-fives and earned his first career pole at the DieHard 500 Later that season, he and John Andretti of the No. 37 Ford owned by Michael Kranefuss and Carl Haas, negotiated to begin their next year's contracts (in each other's then rides) early. Mayfield ended the year 26th in points.