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Has the Grass Gotten Any Greener?

by Tim Zaegel on November 13th, 2007

Following the race at Martinsville around the middle of October, Bill Davis Racing parted ways with Jeremy Mayfield at the same time that CNC-Haas let go of Jeff Green. Almost simultaneously, CNC struck a deal with Mayfield that landed him behind the wheel of the no. 66 Chevrolet. My question is why?

If you’ve been following NASCAR half-assed for the last two years, then at first glance this sounds like a smart move. I mean, Jeremy Mayfield was a Chase contender two years in a row in 2004 and 2005 (finished 10th & 9th in points those years, respectively). But, let me ask you this – what’s he done since then, or even before then for that matter? Okay, so granted, the same could be said for Jeff Green, who’s best season in Cup racing came back in 2002 when he finished 17th in points, but at least with Green your expectations start low and anything after that can only be a plus. Besides, though, I actually don’t think Green’s ever had as good of a full-time ride & team to work with as Mayfield did during that two year stretch (drove the no. 19 Dodge for Ray Evernham).

But, hey, let’s throw the past out the window and just look at what’s been going on recently. Last year Evernham gave Mayfield the boot following the Brickyard 400 after a very disappointing season in which his best finish during his 22 starts in the 19 car was a 13th place showing at Talladega in the Spring. At the end of the year, Jeremy made the move over to Bill Davis Racing where he failed to qualify at Phoenix and mechanical failures led him to a 42nd place finish at Homestead to cap off a horrid year. Well, whatever, things were sure to be better in 2007, right?  Right? Not a chance. While driving under the Bill Davis banner, Mayfield was nothing more than a laughing stock, failing to qualify in 18 attempts and qualifying for only 13 races, and his best showing was a 22nd place finish at Kansas. As for Green? Well, he successfully qualified his car in all 32 events that he attempted and was able to bring home (3) sixth place finishes over the course of the year. In comparison, after the race in Martinsville, Green sat 27th in points while Mayfield was 48th.

Since Mayfield began driving for CNC, he’s managed finishes of 39th, 22nd, and 40th … numbers that even Warren Wallace could duplicate. His last win came at Michigan in 2005, and that was a result of fuel mileage (if you recall that race, you know that Mayfield had about a 20th place car that day). I’m not a huge Jeff Green fan, and I’m aware that he’s not going to be the one to take this team to the promised land by any means, but in that same respect, Jeremy Mayfield is perhaps the most overrated driver in NASCAR, bar none. In essence, if you’re going to take the time to put somebody out of work before reaching the off-season, at least frickin’ make it worth it. I hope this team finishes 45th in owner points next year.

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