LONG POND, Pa. - Jeremy Mayfield would love to hover among the top five in the points standings. Yet as the mad dash toward qualifying for NASCAR's 10-race chase for the championship heats up, Mayfield likes his spot.
Mayfield enters the Pennsylvania 500 on Sunday 11th in the points standings, just 106 points behind 10th-place Ryan Newman. There are just seven races left to earn a spot as one of the 10 drivers who will participate in the 10-race championship.
Mayfield, though, hardly seems worried about missing the cut. He said there was more pressure on Newman or Kevin Harvick, in ninth place and 111 points ahead of Mayfield.
"The guys that are eighth, ninth and 10th, I think they're going to be a little more patient and not try to make any mistakes, whereas we feel like we've got nothing to lose," Mayfield said. "We've got to run hard and gain all we can every week.
"I'd rather be in the situation we're in right now because sometimes you can be too conservative. Right now, we're in the offensive mode and we're going to do everything we can to get there."
Pocono might be the track where Mayfield makes his move.
He's won at Pocono Raceway twice - including his first career victory - and finished second there six weeks ago in the Pocono 500. Mayfield also has four top-fives and eight top-10s at the track in 20 career starts.
"I think we're sitting in a pretty good spot right now," he said. "Other than being in the top five, I'd rather be where we're at rather than worried about somebody trying to move in on us. I feel real good about the point system so far."
Jimmie Johnson, who overcame a caution-rules error to win at Pocono in June, is the overall points leader, holding a 165-point lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Gordon is only 37 points behind Earnhardt.
Earnhardt plans to drive all 500 miles Sunday in his second race since suffering second-degree burns in a sports car crash July 18. Earnhardt drove the first 61 laps of last Sunday's race at New Hampshire before giving up the driver's seat to rookie Martin Truex Jr.
John Andretti - a part-time DEI driver this season - will stand by throughout the weekend.
"The plan is to rest and take it easy this week so I'll be ready to do 500 miles Sunday," Earnhardt said. "The burns heal a little more everyday, but I'm still in a lot of pain. I felt pretty good inside the car, but I'm going to need all my strength."
Johnson agreed with Mayfield that the leaders can race more cautiously over the next month.
"I feel kind of like Lance Armstrong, when you're just kind of riding along waiting for that final cut," he said. "We can look at it in two ways: One, we can conserve or, two, we can take some chances because it doesn't matter where we end up after race No. 26 as long as we're in the top 10."
All the drivers could benefit from a strong pole qualifying session today - the past four races at Pocono have been won from a top-five starting position.
Still, Mayfield has history at Pocono, where he won for the first time in 1998. Two years later, he won again after pushing aside Dale Earnhardt in the final lap.
He's finished in the top 10 in six of his last nine races after having only two top-10s in his first 13.
HAMILTON ADDED TO PROGRAM: Bobby Hamilton, who has won two of the three NASCAR Craftsman Truck races run at Darlington Raceway, was added to the exhibition program when "The Lady In Black" turns on its track lights for the first time next month.
Hamilton and his truck will join three of Darlington's winningest drivers - David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and Gordon - for the "Night Riders" Aug. 24.
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