Post by dalejrfan on Oct 30, 2005 16:08:11 GMT -5
HAMPTON, Ga. -- Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield made the Chase for the Nextel Cup by relying on their ability to avoid trouble week after week.
That very ability abandoned them during the critical October stretch.
Rusty Wallace had problems for the third consecutive week. Jeremy Mayfield saw his miserable October end with mechanical issues.
Wallace crashed just six laps into Sunday's Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, all but ending any chance of a championship in his final full season.
Wallace cut a tire and wrecked late at Charlotte, and he was spun in the closing laps at Martinsville. Wallace has been caught up in wrecks in four of the last five weeks.
"Three weeks in a row we wrecked," Wallace said. "Hard to believe. All year long, no problems. Just upset at what happened the last three weeks."
Mayfield took his Dodge to the garage with an undiagnosed problem, which Mayfield thought involved the clutch or the flywheel. It was the first time all season he'd been forced to the garage with a mechanical issue.
"We have not had any failures whatsoever," Mayfield said. That is why it's hard to say anything about these guys. This team has been really good at not having something like this happen."
Mayfield has just one top 10 since the Chase started, and he is flirting with his second consecutive 10th-place finish in the Nextel Cup standings.
"We haven't been able to run good in the Chase yet," Mayfield said. "We'll get it one day."
That very ability abandoned them during the critical October stretch.
Rusty Wallace had problems for the third consecutive week. Jeremy Mayfield saw his miserable October end with mechanical issues.
Wallace crashed just six laps into Sunday's Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, all but ending any chance of a championship in his final full season.
Wallace cut a tire and wrecked late at Charlotte, and he was spun in the closing laps at Martinsville. Wallace has been caught up in wrecks in four of the last five weeks.
"Three weeks in a row we wrecked," Wallace said. "Hard to believe. All year long, no problems. Just upset at what happened the last three weeks."
Mayfield took his Dodge to the garage with an undiagnosed problem, which Mayfield thought involved the clutch or the flywheel. It was the first time all season he'd been forced to the garage with a mechanical issue.
"We have not had any failures whatsoever," Mayfield said. That is why it's hard to say anything about these guys. This team has been really good at not having something like this happen."
Mayfield has just one top 10 since the Chase started, and he is flirting with his second consecutive 10th-place finish in the Nextel Cup standings.
"We haven't been able to run good in the Chase yet," Mayfield said. "We'll get it one day."