Jeremy Mayfield and the 360 OTC Racing team arrived at Pocono Raceway this weekend with something to prove. After missing the show the last time the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series visited the 2.5-mile trioval, crew chief Joe Lax and the 360 OTC crew were determined to give their driver a chance to score a good finish at one of his favorite tracks. After qualifying for the race Friday afternoon, Mayfield went on to finish 31st in the event.
Sitting outside the top 35 in the Nextel Cup Series owners’ point standings, Mayfield and the 360 OTC Racing team had to make the field for Sunday’s event based on speed. Mayfield was the 42nd of 47 competitors to take to the track for his qualifying run. With an average speed of 165.542 mph, he landed his 360 OTC Toyota Camry in the field for the event and was set to start the race in the 43rd position.
Mayfield took the green flag for the start of the event and communicated to Lax that the handling of the 360 OTC Camry was extremely tight off the corners. Lax planned for air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments during the first pit stop of the day, which came at lap 32. Mayfield went one lap down to leader Kurt Busch on lap 39 of the 200-lap race, but let his crew know that the changes made to the car had helped, and he just needed more of the same the next time he came into the pits. The team took advantage of the opportunity to make additional changes when the caution flag waved on lap 57. Mayfield returned to the track for the lap 59 restart in the 39th spot.
A yellow flag on lap 65 enabled the team to continue to work on the handling of the car. Lax and Mayfield, who were working their first race together, tried to get the Camry to handle more to Mayfield’s liking throughout the remainder of the race. Just past the halfway point of the event, Mayfield communicated to the team that the car was the best it had been all day. The No 36 entry moved into the top 30 on lap 143, but Mayfield soon reported to the crew that the car had once again become very tight off the corners. The 360 OTC team worked on the car every opportunity it had for the remainder of the race, and Mayfield took the checkered flag in 31st place.
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