David Mayhew (No. 21 BayBioDiesel Chevrolet) was in a position to possibly win at Phoenix International Raceway a year ago, in only his second start in the NASCAR Camping World Series. That victory eluded him, however, as his car began to fade from the lead with mechanical problems near the finish of the race. Mayhew returns to Phoenix this year with a renewed confidence, as the NASCAR Camping World Series West heads to PIR this week for the Jimmie Johnson Foundation 150 on Thursday, April 10. The $210,926 race, a companion event at PIR with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will be televised to a national audience live in high definition on HDNet. In addition, SPEED is to provide an enhanced replay. “Last year, we were a one-car team with one motor, a borrowed transmission and borrowed everything pretty much just to get there,” Mayhew recalled of his effort of a year ago by a family team. He returns to the Valley of the Sun this year as the driver of the Golden Gate Racing Team entry for car owner Jim Offenbach. “It’s a lot different, going there prepared and knowing what you’ve got – compared to just showing up and hoping everything works out. I’m really looking forward to it.”
While last year’s team had good equipment, they did not have all the resources, according to Mayhew. “We’ve got guys at the shop working on the cars all the time,” said the 26-year-old driver from Atascadero, Calif., who recorded two top-five and four top-10 finishes in his seven career starts last year in the NASCAR Camping World Series. “So, I’m not out trying to find sponsorship to go run the car, trying to find somebody to get the car there and trying to find a trailer to put the car in to take it there. Everything’s in place. Before we even get there, we’re more focused on driving and not worrying about if everything’s going to go good and if we’re going to make it to the race,” Mayhew said. “This year, we know everything’s going to get there just fine. We’re going to have a back-up car in the trailer and a back-up motor in the trailer. It’s a lot more comfortable feeling going to the races in a situation like this.”
Adding to Mayhew’s confidence this season is his crew chief Steve Portenga, who set the current record of 129.394 mph at PIR in 2000. “Steve’s always run well, pretty much everywhere,” Mayhew said. “I’ve got a pretty good mentor and teacher in Steve, with all his knowledge from the different tracks. He’s still got the track record at Phoenix and knows how to get around there. Hopefully, we can put everything together and go win us a race.”
Mayhew is part of a driver development program between the Golden Gate Racing Team and Richard Childress Racing. While he admits to feeling an extra bit of pressure to do well there, with RCR in attendance at Phoenix, Mayhew remains philosophical about it.
“Whatever’s going to happen will happen,” he said. “So everybody just needs to do their best. I believe in Steve and Jim and the team. I think we’ll have good cars all year.”
After being named to drive the GGRT entry late in the season last year, Mayhew responded with back-to-back podium finishes in the last two races. He hopes to carry that momentum over into this season. He started with a runner-up finish in the season opener.
“I think we can continue it,” Mayhew said. “Running in the top three or top five every race is what it’s going to take. The wins will come with podium finishes. We’ll concentrate on making all the laps and having the car there at the end of the race. That’s what it takes.”
