BACK IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: Following a month-long hiatus from NASCAR Busch Series competition, Casey Mears will return to driving duties in the No. 24 National Guard Chevrolet this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Mears, who has 13 top-10 finishes in 16 starts on the circuit in 2007, will compete in three more Busch Series races this season.
CASEY AT KANSAS: Mears has not competed in a Busch Series race at Kansas Speedway since 2004, when he posted an eighth-place finish. In the years following, he has earned two top-10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series finishes at the track, including a runner-up result there last year.
INTERMEDIATE MEARS: Mears earned his sole Busch Series victory at Chicagoland Speedway, the sister-track to Kansas Speedway, in 2006. Mears has posted eight of his 14 top-five finishes and 18 of his 30 top-10s at intermediate tracks.
NATIONAL GUARD TEAM AT KANSAS: The No. 24 National Guard team, headed by crew chief Chad Walter, finished third at Kansas Speedway in 2006 with driver Kyle Busch.
REPRESENT: The hood of the No. 24 National Guard Chevrolet will honor the 35th Infantry Division from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., this weekend. Every weekend, a different Army National Guard division or brigade is honored on the No. 24 Chevy. Mears will meet with select soldiers of the division on Saturday prior to the start of the Busch Series race.
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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET: (ON RETURNING TO BUSCH SERIES COMPETITION. ) “I really enjoy running the Busch races and I’m excited to get back with the 24 team. We’ve had some really good finishes this year and should’ve won the race at California. We had a few other races where we just had a few small mistakes that kept us from getting the win. The capability is definitely there if we just hit on things right. So, I’m definitely looking forward to getting back in the car. “
MEARS: (ON WHAT HAS KEPT THE NATIONAL GUARD TEAM FROM VICTORY LANE THIS SEASON. ) “It’s nothing big. I think we have the car and the parts and pieces, we just have to make the right decisions at the end of the race to be in the right scenario to win. Whether it’s taking four (tires), taking two or staying out (on the track). That end of it, making the right adjustment at the end to be competitive enough to win the race, is so tough. But that’s what this sport is about. The pit crew has been doing an excellent job, but we’ve had a couple of races where we’ve felt like we were in position to win, but had a small mistake on pit road. It’s a combination of almost everything. Everyone has to do their job. I’ve made mistakes, too. You’ve got to get it all together at one time and hopefully in the last three races this year we can make something happen. “
MEARS: (ON HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TEAMMATE LANDON CASSILL. ) “I’ve talked to him at several tracks, just to give him the basic idea of what the tracks are like. He’s a talented young guy. He has a lot to learn, for sure, but he’s shown that he gives very good feedback. He’s done a lot of testing for us earlier this year. Like I said, he needs a lot of seat time and needs the opportunity. But I think he’s going to be good. It’s fun to have that young guy on the team, coming up through the ranks. I maybe have that role of trying to help him out a bit. I had guys that did that for me, so it feels good to be able to do that for someone else. ”
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