Jeremy Mayfield finishes 6th at Orange County Speedway in Southern Modified Tour - Speedway Digest

After nearly a six-week break in the Koma Modified Madness series schedule, Mayfield & team were confident the extra time would pay off. John Ehrenreich (Air-In-Rike), Head Engineer at J2Mayfield Racing, ensured this car would push the envelope in design while meeting Mayfield’s standards for performance.

The extra work paid off with Mayfield qualifying 5th and informing the team the car was the best one to date. Unfortunately, an oil leak was discovered shortly afterwards forcing the crew to go to work and mandating the car start in the back of the field in the 17th spot.

“It was pretty frustrating to know we qualified 5th then had to go to the back of the field over something so minor, but that’s racing; I’m used to it,” said Mayfield prior to the start of the race.

At the start of the race, the car looked strong and Mayfield quickly advanced to the 12th position. At lap three, a caution came out with the J2 car restarting in the 11th spot. Mayfield battled it out for the next 50 laps, finally breaking into the top 10 just prior to the mandatory pit stop around lap 75.

Upon exiting pit road and re-starting in the 6th position, Mayfield radioed his team to inform them the car was still too tight and was going to come in to loosen it up if they get another caution. Around lap 90, another caution came out, giving Mayfield the window he was hoping for. The team made a track bar adjustment and had the J2 car back in time for Mayfield to stay on the lead lap.

At the re-start, Mayfield was in the 10th position and noticeably faster than before. “The guys were able to free the car up enough to allow me maintain the speed I needed in and out of the corners and it made a huge difference,” said Mayfield.

In the final 25 laps, Mayfield had taken the J2 car from 10th to 6th and proved they had a race-winning car once again. “There’s nothing to be upset about tonight. I saw us come together as a team in a way that hasn’t been there before and it shows me we’re on the right track. Like any other team, we just need more time together working out the kinks and the win will come,” said Mayfield.

Crew chief, Steve (Train) McCain agreed with Mayfield’s assessment. “We’ve got to remember we just raced Dirt Super Late Models last weekend on top of moving into our new shop while getting this car ready. I think all things considered, a 6th place finish is great. What I’m most impressed with is the way our team all pulled together tonight & steadily got the car better. That’s when you know you’re on the right track.”

If you missed the #TeamJ2 dirt debut, be sure to catch up by clicking here.

Next stop for #TeamJ2 is County Line Raceway in Elm City, NC on November 13-15 for the 6th Annual Race for the Kids. Ticket prices are posted on the County Line Raceway website.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.