MEARS AT TALLADEGA: Casey Mears led all Hendrick Motorsports drivers last April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway when he finished seventh in the No. 5 Chevrolet. Last October, he posted a sixth-place finish there in his No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy. In 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the track, Mears has recorded four top-10 finishes—including back-to-back eighth-place efforts in 2004.
NO. 5 AT TALLADEGA: Crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 team earned their first top-10 finish at Talladega in April when Mears finished seventh. The team previously had turned in strong performances, notably in October 2006 when it finished 11th after leading 10 laps.
THE CLOSER: Mears, driver of the No. 5 Pop-Tarts/CARQUEST Chevrolet, ranks as the strongest closer based on his performance in the last seven Sprint Cup events at Talladega. Mears passed 41 cars in the final 10 percent of laps in those seven races.
TALLADEGA CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 481 for Sunday’s race at Talladega. Chassis 481 finished fourth in the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway earlier this year. Then, during the Daytona 500, Mears drove the car for 149 laps in the top 15. It returned to action at Talladega in April, where it finished seventh.
HENDRICK AT TALLADEGA: Mears (seventh place) and teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10th) were the top finishers for Hendrick Motorsports in April at Talladega. Rick Hendrick’s teams have won 10 events and led 1,842 laps there, both of which rank as the most for any Sprint Cup owner. Additionally, Hendrick drivers have scored 40 top-five finishes and 57 top-10s at the track.
TESTING 1, 2: Hendrick Motorsports regularly sends its fleet of Impala SS Chevrolets to the wind tunnel, particularly when it comes to preparing for superspeedways like the 2.66-mile racetrack at Talladega. Kurt Romberg, chief aerodynamicist for Hendrick Motorsports, has spearheaded the effort since 2001.
TIRE TESTING: Following Sunday’s restrictor-plate event at Talladega, the No. 5 team will fly directly to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to participate in a three-day Goodyear tire test.
QUOTES
CASEY MEARS, DRIVER, NO. 5 POP-TARTS/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON WHY TALLADEGA HAS PROVIDED BETTER FINISHES FOR THE POP-TARTS/CARQUEST TEAM THIS YEAR.): “To just look at the statistics, Talladega definitely looks like it’s been better for us. But, truthfully, we had the opportunity to win the Daytona 500 in February. We had an awesome Speedweeks, a great Shootout, too. We were sitting there in third when contact was made and ended our night with only like six laps left. Daytona’s July race was good for us, too. We got caught up in an accident while running in the top 15. So, yes, statistically Talladega has been better. But, performance-wise, this team has been great in all restrictor plate races this year.”
MEARS (ON THE STRATEGY OF “HANGING BACK” THAT OFTEN IS EMPLOYED AT TALLADEGA.): “Well, it’s worked in the past two races for us, so I kind of like it. I mean, it’s something you can’t do at any other track. At Daytona, if you hang back too far, you’re going to lose the draft and never catch up again. At Talladega, you can get back up there. It’s really kind of defensive driving. You just keep your eyes and ears open and avoid the messes that tend to occur at restrictor plate tracks. I know the fans don’t really like it, and I hate that for them. And I do know that, as a driver, it’s hard to not want to get to the front right away. But it’s about where you finish, and if this is the best way to get a win, I’m all for it.”
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