Yeah, This is where Mayfield needs to be!!!!!

[flamehothead]

From Jayski.com.

UPDATE: Mayfield? Stremme? Jeremy Mayfield's career may have imploded, but he's expected to get a chance to rebuild with Michael Waltrip Racing next season. Sources say Mayfield has agreed to a deal to share the #44 with Dale Jarrett, who will drive a limited schedule in '08. Jarrett will announce his plans for next year at Lowe's on Friday. It's been speculated that Jarrett, who has those six champion's provisionals to guarantee positions on the grid, would start the season and try to get the #44 into the top-35 in the points and then retire. According to sources, if Jarrett can save some of the provisionals by qualifying on time, he would agree to return to use them to get into races if the #44 fell out of the top 35.(Sports Illustrated)
BUT: Upon retirement, sources say that Jarrett will continue to expand on his new career in television broadcasting and that David Reutimann, his teammate at Michael Waltrip Racing, will move from the #00 Toyota to Jarrett's # 44. When Reutimann switches cars, sources say that David Stremme will step in to drive the # 00 next season. (NASCAR.com)
However: David Stremme is pretty blunt when he talks about his Sprint Cup prospects for 2008. "I got nothing," Stremme said Thursday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I'm beating on doors trying to find something. We've talked to a few people, but it's tough right now." With most of the Cup rides already filled for next season, Stremme's name has been floated as a candidate for several cars but nothing has materialized. (SceneDaily.com)(10-12-2007).

IMO Mayfield would be right at home at MWR lmao.

[Chris]

IMO Waltrip feels sorry for one of his Owensboro buddies...
More of a 'personal' decision than a 'business' decision....
either way.. Mayfield in the seat is a BAD decision.... here's the rub.  If Waltrip TRUELY had confidence in Mayfield, he wouldn't have Jarret have Jarret drive the first 6 races.  He'd show he 'believed' in him and he'd have his own, and his own ride.
This just shows me he DON'T think Mayfield can get the car in the field on his own and has to count on Jarrett to do it the first six races...
AND I'd like to point out.  This is thesame strategy Waltrip employed THIS season... after Jarrett had used up all of his champions provisionals... he was STILL OUT of the top 35 in owner points.  SO I'm not so sure I'd hold my breath for results to be much different next season.  I'd say Mayfield will spend most of 2008 OUT of the top 35 in points, and missing races just like he is now.

[smyler]

I'm going to tend to agree with you about 90% Chris.  What I will say is that I think MWR has a better handle on qualifying than they did 3 months ago.  They have made many more races (statistically) in the last month than they did in the first half of the season.  I'm not saying that they have it figured out, but at least they are making strides. 

I will say that when I read that Jeremy was moving over, the first thing I thought of was it must be some kind of a friendship deal.  Yes, JM made the Chase 2 years and has won a few races in the past, but he's had a hard time in quals this year.  Then again, I don't think going to MWR is a mega prize (ok, being on any team in NASCAR is a prize, but MWR is far from one of the elite teams), do you?  Perhaps this is the perfect partnership.  Neither are at the top of their games.  Sometimes life is about the enjoyment more than the results.  Michael wants to be successful but I think he also wants to surround himself with people that he likes being around.  Besides, Jeremy is well liked by a lot of people.  Ray's sponsors spent a lot of money.  Remember those commercials with the girl bathing in motor oil?  I still remember how she said his name.

[James J.]

I'll preface this post with saying that there are some assumptions on my part for the following:

I don't know Chris.  Considering the season MWR has had trying to make races (like many other Toyota cars) I don't think having Dale Jarrett stay on and being committed to use his provisionals there when/if needed has anything to do with Waltrip's belief in what Mayfield can or can't get done.  I mean after all, it's not like he can sit there at the negotiations table across from Mayfield and say, "Look, you haven't been making races this year.  We have, and we have DJ willing to stay here and ensure we start at least the first 6 races for you."  I think it has more to do with RETAINING Jarrett and his provisionals for the entire MWR team and not having Jarrett go sit in another teams ride to get them into a race and possibly keeping a MWR car out.

Also, Jarrett willing to run a part time schedule and use his provisionals has to help RETAIN a sponsor for MWR.  From a sponsors POV, they'd much rather have this Jarrett/Mayfield split ride combination and those guaranteed starts, especially at the Daytona 500.

I do think MWR is improving, even if just slightly.  It sounds like they're motors are getting stronger too.  And I think MWR, Mayfield, Team Red Bull, and even Blaney, will benefit from the work Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing will be doing during the off season. 

[Chris]

yeah Sunkist...
I'd say you got some valid points.  If you KNOW you can get into the field for 6 races, why not...
Also, Toyota has worked on their motor program already this season, and it has shown to be doing better.
I'll agree when Gibbs starts working on the motor that ALL the Toyota teams should benefit (providing Gibbs shares everything)  SO far I haven't saw the Toyota teams sharing info anywhere near like the Dodge teams when they first came into racing.  Thats why ALL the Dodge teams progressed together.
If Gibbs shares,... Yeah all the teams will benefit.... If not,.. then Gibbs will run circles around all the other Toyota teams.

[James J.]

Even if Gibbs shares, Stewart, Hamlin and Kyle should still run circles around the other Toyotas!