NNCS Texas Preview: Casey Mears
Oct 30, 2007
Nncs Texas Preview: Casey Mears MEARS AT TEXAS: Casey Mears will make his eighth career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Mears has posted two top-five finishes and four top-10s there, including fourth-place results in both 2004 races in which he led a total of 33 laps.
TEXAS HIGHS: Mears’ four top-10 finishes at Texas Motor Speedway are more than he has earned at any other track on the NEXTEL Cup circuit. His 12.3 average start at the intermediate track is his best among all Cup venues.
INTERMEDIATE SUCCESS: Of Mears’ 177 career NEXTEL Cup starts, 83 have been on tracks between one and two miles in length. Mears sole victory occurred at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Seven of his 11 career top-five finishes and 19 of his 36 top-10 finishes have all occurred on speedways.
REACHING THEIR GOAL: The No. 25 National Guard/GMAC team has set a goal of finishing the season 13th in the point standings. With three races remaining, Mears is 14th overall, just 79 points behind 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NATIONAL GUARD CALLED TO DUTY: Seven California National Guard units were called to duty in Southern California last week to respond to the wildfires. The National Guard has supplied both personnel and equipment, including Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters, to the area.
IMPALA SS TEST: Mears tested the Impala SS with Alan Gustafson and his 2008 Hendrick Motorsports team at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday.
GRUBB’S CHOICE: Crew chief Darian Grubb has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 384 for this Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Mears drove Chassis 384 to a 12th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday.
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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC CHEVROLET: (ON HIS SUCCESS AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. ) “We’ve just always ran well and always seemed to have a pretty good car. There’s a lot of different ways to drive that track. You can run the middle and the top more in turns three and four. I’ve had more success right down at the bottom in one and two. For some reason the faster race tracks just fit my style sooner than the short tracks did. I got a little bit of a head start there and I just feel a little more comfortable on those tracks. “
MEARS: (ON THE POSSIBILITY OF BECOMING THE FIRST HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DRIVER TO WIN AT TEXAS SINCE 1999. ) “I would love to do that for Hendrick Motorsports. It’s definitely a possibility. Our team just continues to get stronger and I really love the mile and a half race tracks. Hopefully we can come out with a good finish. “
MEARS: (ON THE TEAM’S GOAL TO FINISH 13th IN THE POINT STANDINGS. ) “For us, it would be like winning the championship, coming from where we were in the points. Obviously Dale (Earnhardt Jr. ) had some issues, engine problems and things like that that have brought him back to where we are. I think if you could have thrown away our first seven or eight races, we would have been right in the mix. If we can come back from 35th and end up 13th, the first guys out of the Chase, this team has really done a lot. “
MEARS: (ON HIS HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TEAMMATES BATTLING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. ) “People are excited with the possibility of bringing home a championship for the team. There’s definitely no animosity between the teams. They’re still pulling and working very hard together, knowing that we have two really good shots at it. There’s three (Hendrick) guys in the Chase and two that are really close to winning the championship, and I think it just brings a positive atmosphere to the whole team. “
