2006 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com

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Family MATTERS Just before he climbs in his No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger for the start of another thrilling NASCAR Nextel Cup race, Jeremy Mayfield performs two rituals. “I always give Shana a kiss before I put my helmet on,” says the veteran driver for Evernham Motorsports, referring to his wife, “and the last thing we do is say a little prayer. Then I get into the car and go.” That type of support helps a lot of drivers go. NASCAR prides itself on being a family sport, certainly for fans, but also for the heroes they cheer. Generations of dads and moms, wives and husbands, kids and kinfolk have flocked to the racetracks and gathered round the TV together. In the same way, family support has encouraged the speed demons behind the wheel, be it a spouse’s traditional good-luck kiss or a parent’s permission to become a racecar driver in the first place. So as much as Mayfield relies on his race team to keep his Dodge Charger, co-sponsored by the UAW-Daimler- Chrysler National Training Center, running in tip-top shape week in and week out, he needs Shana too. “She’s ‘‘ the one who deals with me when we have bad days,” says Mayfield, who joined the Cup circuit in 1993 and competed in the Top 10 in the Chase for the Nextel Cup the past two seasons. “She helps me stay balanced.” The couple met I MAY NOT BE PHYSICALLY DRIVING A RACECAR… BUT EMOTIONALLY I’M ENTRENCHED IN THIS AND ‘‘ I GET UP AND DOWN TOO. SHANA MAYFIELD in the garage area at Darlington Raceway in 1999 and were married in 2003. Shana is trackside every weekend and readily accepts her balancing role. “I may not be physically driving a racecar for four hours, but emotionally I’m entrenched in this, and I get up and down too,” she says. “If it’s a great day, we celebrate it together. But if it’s a bad day, I remind him of how blessed we are to at least be in this, and that things can only get better.” NASCAR’s family friendliness plays out beyond the matrimonial stage, starring parents, siblings and relatives. For Kasey Kahne, pilot of the No. 9 Charger, “my cousin Kole is my spotter every weekend,” he says. “My brother Kale drives the motor coach and does all the practice spot- CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 24 www.uawdcx.com
Evernham drivers get unconditional support through the long NASCAR season BY BOB WOODS GETTY IMAGES Kasey Kahne with his father, Kelly (left), and Jeremy Mayfield and his wife, Shana, (right). TOMORROW SPECIAL RACING 2006 25
Page 1 and 2: 2006 SPECIAL RACING ISSUE LOOKING A
Page 3 and 4: LOOKING AHEAD AT THE UAW-DAIMLERCHR
Page 5 and 6: DODGE TAKES TWO Dodge roared into t
Page 7 and 8: Fans attending the UAW-DC 400 at LV
Page 9 and 10: WHAT CAN YOU HEMI? At the Chrysler
Page 11 and 12: RACING FOR THE FUTURE Toledo’s Ju
Page 13 and 14: &NOW Past and present: Richard Pett
Page 15 and 16: “Now, the muscle Charger is comin
Page 17 and 18: AN AMERICAN AUTOMOTIVE HERITAGE Exp
Page 19 and 20: Driven to Succeed What Mayfield and
Page 21 and 22: JEREMY MAYFIELD PHOTO TO COME Don
Page 23: RISING RACING STARS GETTY IMAGES Ev
Page 27 and 28: PRIDE ON DISPLAY American automakin

2006 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com

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