Mike Griffith: Mayhew in hunt for Camping World West title
| Wednesday, Jun 03 2009 09:38 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jun 03 2009 10:33 PM
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ROSEVILLE, CA - APRIL 04: Driver David Mayhew before the Napa Camping World West Race on April 4, 2009 in Roseville, California. (Photo by Greg Trott/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** David Mayhew
There are no full time employees but the car and parts are the best money can buy, the volunteer workers are dedicated and David Mayhew has the MMI Services Chevrolet in the hunt for the NASCAR Camping World West Series title.
Not bad for a team that wasn't even formed until January and is operating on a race-to-race basis.
Only five of 13 races have been run but the Bakersfield-based team is third in points, 39 out of the lead, heading into into Saturday night's race at Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore.
Terry Henry, who has driven in one race as well this season, serves as Mayhew's crew chief and the two of them, along with a handful of other people, spend their evenings after their regular work day preparing the cars at the shop.
But don't call it a low-budget operation.
"I've raced low budget," Mayhew said, "and this in no where near the same. Anything we need, Steve gets us. He takes care of us and gets us the right stuff. We have awesome equipment and a bunch of guys who like to work on the cars and get stuff done."
Mayhew, 27, has been competitive in just about anything he's driven. The Atascadero native who now calls Bakersfield home won five national karting championships before climbing into a stock car and winning the Late Model championship at Mesa Marin Raceway in 2004. He was Southwest Series rookie of the year in 2006 and made his Camping World West debut in 2007.
He ran a full West season for Golden Gate Racing in 2008, had a best finish of second, placed eighth in points and was a driver without a ride come late December.
When word got out that Mayhew wasn't going to be back with Golden Gate Racing McGowan offered Mayhew a car to run in the Toyota Showdown race in late January -- the catch was that Mayhew had to go back to North Carolina and pick it up.
"We drove straight there and back, never shut the truck off," Mayhew said of the quick trip.
Mayhew finished 10th in a 40-car field in the Showdown race at Irwindale and has finished in the top six in four of the five points races since.
"We got the pole and led the most laps at Texas (before finishing sixth), ran in the top five at Roseville, second at Madera and was third at Iowa (first among West drivers)," Mayhew said.
The only hiccup was a 14th place finish at Phoenix when a bad alternator finally led to a dead battery -- on the final lap.
"We we running third ... I watched everybody we beat all day drive right by as we stumbled around the track," Mayhew said.
There are only 13 west races, which leaves Mayhew lots of time for a newfound hobby -- dirt track racing in an IMCA Modified.
Mayhew made his dirt-track debut in a Modified late last year, getting in about 10 races in his own car, and has been driving a car owned by Darrell Hood this year. He raced to his first victory on May 24 at Victorville and followed that with a win on May 30 at Santa Maria.
"It seems like you can race somewhere every weekend in a Modified," he said. "The schedule for the West is so spread out and I want to be driving every weekend just to stay on top of my game. Any kind of racing is going to help, but I think it's helped my pavement racing by just being in the seat every weekend. The more you can drive, the easier things come."
Mayhew's ultimate goal -- to be able to race for a living -- certainly isn't coming easy but he plans to keep plugging away.
"It's all about money these days and that's something I don't have a lot of," he said. "But I want to keep racing and put myself in position to take advantage of anything that might come along."
Quick shifts
* IMCA Modifieds, American Stocks, Minis Stocks and Mini Dwarf Cars will be in action on Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway. Jay Marks leads the IMCA points race, Steven Johnson is atop the American Stock standings and Jacob Shepherd is the MIni Stock leader. Racing starts at 6.
* The West Coast Racing Association is holding two nights of racing at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Friday and Saturday. Competition takes place in a variety of classes, from 7.60-second A/Gas to 11.6-second E/Gas. Heads-up racing starts at 9 p.m. on Friday night (and continues into the wee hours Saturday), with eliminations beginning at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
* Buddy Shepherd raced to victory Friday Night in Junior Sprint competition at Plaza Raceway Park in Visalia.
* Brandon Toy of Bakersfield held onto his points lead in the Legends class at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale after a seventh-place finish on Saturday night. Mark Reed of Bakersfield finished fourth and moved up to fifth in points, 30 behind Toy with about two-thirds of the season left to run.
