Move to HMS may be missing link for Mears
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
February 2, 2007
11:44 AM EST
In the late 1970s, Rick Mears was a promising but winless open-wheel driver competing in mediocre equipment for a second-tier team. Then he joined forces with Roger Penske, the top Champ Car owner of his era, and the relationship produced 26 victories and four wins in the Indianapolis 500.
To Casey Mears, it's all part of the family history. He knows his legendary uncle blossomed as a racecar driver only after he united with an organization as capable of winning as he was. And the younger Mears knows that now, as the newest hire on a Hendrick Motorsports team that celebrated its sixth Nextel Cup title last season, he may be on the cusp of the same thing.
Acceleration
"I feel like I'm at the point in my career where I'm capable of being successful week in and week out," said Mears, who takes over the No. 25 car piloted by Brian Vickers the past three years. "I'm with a team now that's capable of doing that. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that."
Mears showed flashes of potential toward the end of his four-year stint with Chip Ganassi Racing, his runner-up finish in last year's Daytona 500 one of eight top-10s he compiled in 2006. But those were the exceptions; too much of his time at Ganassi reminded him of times in other series like Busch and Indy Lights, where his goal wasn't to win, but do the best he could with inferior equipment.
At the time, it was frustrating. Drivers race to win, and those two second-place finishes -- the other was at Kansas last October -- are the closest Mears has come to reaching Victory Lane at NASCAR's top level. In some ways he's a throwback to an earlier era, when drivers had to prove themselves in lesser cars before they were given a chance in vehicles capable of winning every Sunday.
"I didn't get thrown in with one of the best teams right out of the gate. I feel I'm with one of the best teams now, and happy to be here, but all the way through Indy Lights, driving my first year in the Busch Series, getting thrown into Cup really too early -- it was a great opportunity, but I got thrown in too early -- I was able to learn what the lows are like," said Mears, who switched from open-wheels to stocks in 2002.
"I've been there, I understand it. I understand that if we finish outside the top 10, it's not the end of the day. I've learned how to bring cars home that maybe aren't quite right, and bring home a 12th with maybe a 15th-place car. I feel fortunate now. Being in the position I'm in, I can really appreciate that."
New teammate Jeff Gordon believes that experience will serve Mears well at Hendrick Motorsports, where he'll be expected to run up front every weekend. That's something his predecessor Vickers -- now with Toyota's Team Ted Bull -- wasn't able to do until late last season, when the No. 25 team scored five top-10s and a victory in its final eight starts. "I like to see guys that have had to earn the right to be there, and have had to work through it. Not taking anything away from Ganassi, I think they've had some great cars and teams over the last few years," Gordon said.
"But I think Casey's really had to work on getting used to a stock car, the bigger, heavier cars, and I think he's done a great job really learning how to be patient and learning how to get the most out of a car and bring it home at the end of the day. And I think that's a huge asset to Hendrick Motorsports, that we've had other people be able to teach him those things and pay his dues there. I hope that it all comes together for him this year, because I think that team is on the brink of a breakthrough, and I think Casey is as well."
It helps that Mears is surrounded by a support system like none he's ever had. Among Hendrick's 524 employees are specialized mechanics who can give detailed attention to even the smallest parts of the car. At a recent Car of Tomorrow test in Lakeland, Fla., Mears said he was accompanied by "an engineer and an engineer and another engineer," in addition to crew chief Lance McGrew.
And then there are people like Gordon and owner Rick Hendrick and reigning Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, all of whom Mears had close personal relationships before he joined his new team. He and Johnson, who both come from off-road backgrounds, were even teammates once before.
It all creates a very comfortable atmosphere, making Mears feel less like the new guy at Hendrick and more like someone who's finally where he's supposed to be. How much those personal relationships helped him get hired, he isn't sure. He was still talking to Ganassi, and within days of making a decision on his 2007 plans when he received a call from Hendrick.
"I think the way everything went down with Brian leaving, it was about who was available at that time," Mears said. "At that time, I like to think I was their first choice, the best person for this job. The fact that there were personal relationships there as well, I'm sure that helped sway that opinion. But I was told I was chosen based on the job that I could do. I feel pretty good about it. Just all the way around, it's a great opportunity."
And with that opportunity comes expectations, easily the highest of Mears' NASCAR career. For years he's been the promising, likeable kid with the so-so cars, someone Mark Martin, Jeff Burton or Dale Earnhardt Jr. would approach after races to offer encouragement or support. The instant he slides into the No. 25 car for the first time, those days are over.
"If you're going to be in this sport, you've got to step up when the time comes. The time's come," Gordon said. "But I don't think as an organization we want to put that kind of pressure on him. I think he's put that on himself."
Grubb named crew chief for Mears' 25
As interim, led Johnson to two victories in '06
By Team Release
February 5, 2007
05:50 PM EST
CONCORD, N.C -- Hendrick Motorsports on Monday named Darian Grubb crew chief of the No. 25 Chevrolet driven by Casey Mears in the Nextel Cup Series.
The 31-year-old Grubb will lead the team into the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
"Darian is one of the most respected voices in our organization and has proven to be a terrific leader," said team owner Rick Hendrick. "He and Casey represent an exciting new combination for the No. 25 team, its sponsors and its fans."
Grubb, who holds a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech, joined Hendrick Motorsports from Petty Enterprises in January 2003, assuming the role of team engineer for the No. 48 Chevrolets led by crew chief Chad Knaus.
While also serving as Hendrick Motorsports' lead race engineer, Grubb worked alongside Knaus last season as the No. 48 team posted five victories, one pole position, 13 top-five finishes and a series-best 24 top-10 efforts en route to the 2006 Nextel Cup championship.
A native of Floyd, Va., Grubb was interim crew chief during the first four races of the No. 48 team's 2006 campaign, leading driver Jimmie Johnson to a pair of victories, one runner-up finish and a sixth-place effort.
Grubb assumes the duties of Lance McGrew, who will remain with Hendrick Motorsports in a leadership role.
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Mears surprised, but pleased with change
Driver says he's impressed with Grubb in new role
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
February 9, 2007
02:32 PM EST
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In 2006, Casey Mears finished runner-up in the Daytona 500 to Jimmie Johnson, who drove a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that was tuned and guided that day by engineer Darian Grubb -- the man who late Monday afternoon was named Mears' crew chief on Rick Hendrick's No. 25 Chevrolet.
Mears, who has yet to run his first race for Hendrick after making 144 starts for Chip Ganassi Racing, met the man whom he expects to engineer his breakout Nextel Cup season face-to-face for the first time Thursday and said the impromptu session was "impressive."
Mears appeared to have gotten over what he said was a surprising change.
"It all happened really fast," Mears said. "But I had talked with Jimmie about Darian for a lot of years and he expressed [how highly he thought of him]. So far I've been impressed and we've just got a lot of work to do.
"I think [Grubb's] excited about [the sponsors] and I think he's excited about the attention and effort that's been put towards this 25 team and I just couldn't be happier that he decided to come aboard.
"It was something that had to be decided quick and it was a personal decision [because] there's a lot of time devoted to this [because] he's looking to lose a lot of personal time at home so it was a huge decision for him to make and I'm glad he did -- and I'm excited about it."
But after a couple Hendrick Motorsports personnel weighed-in Thursday, it seemed outgoing crew chief Lance McGrew, who led former HMS driver Brian Vickers to the Busch Series championship in 2003 but struggled with Vickers in Nextel Cup until the pair won at Talladega last fall with the No. 25 Monte Carlo, would be the only one who might offer the definitive reason for the change.
McGrew was cited in Monday's announcement for a "leadership role" at Hendrick, which fields full-time Nextel Cup programs for defending champion Johnson, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, former Nextel Cup rookie of the year Kyle Busch and part-time Busch Series programs for Busch, Mears and Johnson, among others.
"Lance has proven to be a winner on every level he's raced, and we're excited about the positive impact he can make on our overall efforts," HMS general manager Marshall Carlson said Thursday. "He's a first-class person with broad experience in this organization who will continue to contribute to our success."
"I really hope Lance finds something within the organization and can still be a part of things," Mears said. "Because he's very valuable and has a lot of experience and we don't want to lose that."
Grubb stepped into a brilliant spotlight in Cup racing last year when Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, was suspended for four races after Daytona 500 Bud Pole Qualifying for a technical infraction found in post-qualifying inspection.
Grubb stepped up from the team Knaus assembled and scored the hallmark 500 victory, second place at California, a win at Las Vegas and sixth place at Atlanta before Knaus returned.
"[Me and Johnson] talked a lot about Darian stepping in for him last year and how impressed [Johnson] was with him and how calm [Grubb] was, the way he approached situations and his attention to detail in trying to sort out and really get the feel that Jimmie wanted in the car," Mears said. "He was just impressed with that. So right now, it's a surprise to get the change at this point [because] I was really looking forward to working with Lance, we had a good rapport and things were going well.
"The team had their reasons for making this decision and I support 'em. It's a team that's been around for a long time and they understand what it's going to take to win races and win championships in this sport, and for whatever reason they felt like this was the right scenario for us to go out and do well.
"I think if there was anybody capable or anybody that could have stepped in and eased any apprehension I had about having a new crew chief, it was Darian. He is the guy that definitely was the right guy for the job, within the company because there was nobody else that I could see, at this point just being able to pluck out and put in this situation and be able to deal with it."
Carlson said the timing -- though it seemed last-minute -- was correct and that there was little question Grubb was the person of choice.
"Our season is year-round, so we're constantly evaluating everything we do [and] we felt that adjusting immediately would be most beneficial for the organization," Carlson said. "With the No. 25 team, we saw an opportunity to make adjustments and felt Darian was the right person to lead those efforts.
"He has a strong history here and his leadership ability is already proven."
During preseason testing at Daytona in January, Mears was 12th out of 64 cars but he said "no, it wasn't between us" when asked if test results led to the change and added that conjecture that another organization had approached Grubb about a crew chief's position was "digging pretty deep."
"It was just a team decision based on information they've had over the last couple of years, and what they felt maybe would be a better fit," Mears said. "There were really no bad issues and there wasn't one thing that set them off to spark this decision -- it was just a series of events leading up to where we are now that they felt this was the best scenario.
"It would take forever to explain that and to be honest, I don't know all the reasons right now, but like I said, I was really looking forward to working with Lance, and by the same token I'm really looking forward to working with Darian [because] in no way, shape or form did we take a step backwards."
Mears said he didn't anticipate a move and laughed when it was pointed out that Grubb himself had mentioned last year that he wasn't looking for a crew chief's role after his brief fill-in for Knaus.
"He did say that he didn't think he wanted to go that direction," Mears said. "At the same time, one thing that he did express was that he wanted it to be the right scenario, and he felt this was a good opportunity, which I took as a huge compliment."
As he left the garage Thursday, Knaus said he was pleased his protege had received a bona fide leadership opportunity rather than an interim position and that he would excel in his new role.
"I think it's a great opportunity for him," Knaus said. "Darian's a really good guy and I couldn't be prouder. I'm happy when any of my guys get the opportunity to expand within the company and get more responsibility [because] we've had it happen a few times and I think it's great.
"I think he's going to do a good job and I hope that, obviously working with me over the last few years he's developed a style that's similar, with what I've got with the racecars and if he has, then it's only going to help us, so I'm looking forward to it."
Mears cited a similarity in his and Johnson's driving styles that he picked up on even more in his initial briefing with Grubb.
"The way that we work the pedals and work the wheels is similar, on a lot of these tracks," Mears said. "And that kind of helped Darian understand that he had worked with a guy that has a similar driving style to this guy, now."
Knaus agreed.
"I hope it makes the transition more seamless -- I really do," Knaus said, with a laugh. "I think Casey's got a lot of talent but we'll just have to wait and see.
"But I think it's going to be a great opportunity for everybody and I'm really excited about it."
In an audio package posted on Hendrick Motorsports' media Web site Thursday, Grubb said he wasn't looking for a crew chief's role -- but he relished the chance.
"I'd say my goals are just like those of any other team out there -- just to try and win races and to perform to the best of our ability -- and to get the cars into the Chase," Grubb said. "With Casey coming in, and with his enthusiasm -- and with basically everything starting over for this team, I think it's one of those things where it's not an unrealistic goal.
"With the equipment and the resources we have here at Hendrick Motorsports -- and the backing we have from the National Guard and GMAC, which is second to none -- I think [making the Chase] is a good goal to try to accomplish. And just like everyone else it's something we're going to go out there and try to fight for."
Both driver and crew chief agreed their initial vibe indicated good things might be coming this season -- even this Speedweeks -- though Mears laughed off any thought of pressure despite his and Grubb's performance in the 2006 "Great American Race," which Mears stressed was a team effort, even though Grubb had the lead role on the pit box.
"It's a reassuring feeling that Darian has been through that [winning] process and understands how to get there," Mears said. "He understands how the team needs to perform and how the guys need to react to certain situations.
"He's been there, watching it with the championship team and he knows what it takes to get there, so having that knowledge is very valuable and we'll see how we click -- but so far, things are going well, I had a great conversation with him [Thursday] and so far things are going well."
"[Casey] is great," Grubb said. "What little I've talked to him he's a great guy and I know he's been friends with Jimmie [Johnson] in the past -- and with my past dealings with Jimmie Johnson and Casey coming around, they joked and carried-on and [Mears] definitely has got a great personality, a great attitude toward the sport and I really think he's going to succeed."
If he does, it will be in Grubb's first season as a crew chief, which he said was never his intent.
"I got the opportunity to play at crew chief for four races last year and I really enjoyed it," Grubb said. "It was a great opportunity and a great challenge for me [and] I'm just proud that Hendrick Motorsports has put their confidence in me to be able to go through and try this. I think it's one of those things where I couldn't have ever asked for this opportunity, but now that it's been laid in my lap, I'm really looking forward to going with it."
Knaus said by his engineer's training Grubb had the capacity to excel in 2007's Nextel Cup landscape.
"He's probably one of the smartest engineers I've met, so I think that's going to bode well for him," Knaus said. "He's good and he understands. A lot of the crew chiefs out there don't understand the engineering side of it, they don't understand data acquisition and how to read through programs and do a lot of that stuff -- and he does.
"That will help him to communicate with the engineers and it will give him what he needs from his engineers to be a good crew chief."
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Casey Mears, No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Impala SS, met with members of the media at Dover International Speedway on Friday. Mears talked about life this week after his first Nextel Cup victory, on the performance of his team in the Busch Series, if he would ever consider doing the Memorial Day "double" and what he enjoys about Pocono. An audio file of the interview is also included at the end of this transcript.
WHAT HAS LIFE BEEN LIKE THE LAST FIVE DAYS?
"It's been good. Like I've been telling some other people, I'm very, very happy obviously that we won the race but probably more relieved than happy. It's just been so long and it was just nice to be able sit back and take a deep breath this week and relax a little bit, just think about what we have to do. We tested at VIR on Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday I got a chance to spend some good time with some of my friends around the lake on Memorial Day. Like I said, Tuesday and Wednesday tested and had a little bit of time off yesterday at the house for the first time, returned a bunch of phone calls. It's just been a good week. I think everybody's in a good mood. I'm very happy with what happened over the weekend and I'm just ready to get going again."
DO YOU FEEL LIKE WITH THE WIN YOU BROKE THROUGH A WALL AND NOW BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS ARE ON THEIR WAY?
"I hope so. I've been seeing it going in the right direction the last four or five races. We've had some really competitive race cars. We haven't had a whole lot to show for it just because (we were in) the wrong place at the wrong time or just something happening that's kind of out of the ordinary. Fortunately we were able to piece that one together last weekend and proved to lot of people out there that we're a team that's competitive and has an opportunity to win and now I think that internally we've always known that the potential was there, now externally everybody around us understands that. I've never really let myself be bothered with those kind of pressures, the outside pressures, but it obviously weighs on your mind because now that we've won I feel a little bit more relaxed for sure."
DO YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT FEELING WALKING INTO DOVER?
"No, you're getting ready for the next race. Obviously it feels great because a lot of people walking up and down pit road are congratulating you over the weekend. I've met a lot of good friends in this garage over the past few years here and it's just really cool to see a lot of the guys that are involved with other organizations that are just as excited about the victory as we were. On that end it's definitely different for sure but at the end of the day when you get on the track it's Dover and we got to go racing."
WHEN YOU STARTED RACING IN THE BUSCH SERIES WOULD YOU HAVE BELIEVED YOU'D GET YOUR FIRST WIN IN MAY 2007?
"When I started Busch racing I never even thought I was going to be able to go Cup racing. When I started Busch racing, I honestly thought I was going go Busch racing for about a year so I could figure out what open wheel series I wanted to go back to and go from there. Things have took off and obviously got a great opportunity with Hendrick Motorsports here and here in the sport and it's just unbelievable. Obviously I was hoping to win sooner but I'm in the right place (with) the right people, right sponsor, great organization and I think that we can keep making progress every single weekend making the team better. This win is just going to take a little bit of pressure off everybody and allow us just to focus on our jobs and work that much more harder at it."
WAS IT IMPORTANT TO WIN BEFORE THE 42 CAR WON THIS YEAR?
"I didn't even think about that."
ON GOING TO POCONO NEXT WEEKEND AND THE SPECIAL CHALLENGES THAT TRACK PRESENTS:
"Pocono is a lot of fun. I thought it was a lot more fun when they let you shift. Honestly that was probably 90 percent of what made that place really fun was being able to shift but it's still a cool place and it's very unique. It's a very difficult track to get your car right for just because the three very distinctly different corners but I'm looking forward to going there. Last year everybody at Hendrick Motorsports ran really well there. I think their engine program suits that track and they had a great setup for it so I'm looking forward to seeing what we have when we go back."
WAS THERE MORE PRESSURE TO WIN WHEN YOU SEE YOUR TEAMMATES WINNING WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT?
"I don't think so. You got to be realistic and understand where we were on the 25 side. I think that people think just because you sign with Hendrick Motorsports all the sudden everything is great and you should be able to go win races right out of the gate. The bottom line is we had a new driver, a new crew chief, ended up having a new car chief a couple of races into the year and we got a lot of growing to do and we still do. We're probably about 15 percent into 100 percent of our potential which is encouraging because I know it's going to continue to get better. But I think from the outside looking in it's easy to make a comment like that or think that direction but when you're on the inside looking out you really understand how much work we've done to get to the point where we're at now and understand and why we haven't had the success early but I think as we go down the road things continue to get better and stronger and it's great to see our teammates win. It wasn't really pressure on me, I felt like it was actually encouraging that it's all here, you know everybody is winning. We've got the equipment, we've got the stuff, we just got to wrap our arms around it on the 25 side and fortunately we were able to do that last weekend."
ON THE BUSCH SERIES SIDE, DO YOU SEE SIGNS THAT YOU ARE GETTING CLOSER THERE AS WELL?
"We've been close since day one on the Busch side. That team has been together for the last couple of years and they made some huge improvements with their cars over the off season. Right out of the gate we've been in contention to win races from the very start and I think we've been very close there since the beginning of the year and we've got a very fast car here at Dover. Everybody is wearing out tires pretty fast here in this first practice and we opted to quit early just because the tires were wearing out so fast we wanted to save some for the race. The car is very fast, they're doing a good job again and we've had an opportunity to win week in and week out in the Busch Series."
ON HIS VICTORY AND THE RELIEF OF PRESSURE FROM THE WIN CARRYING OVER TO THE BUSCH SERIES AND FOR HIS NEXTEL CUP TEAM:
"For everybody, I think that everybody is just so happy within the organization. Obviously the 25 team got a win last year and it was a true win but there was obviously some overshadowing with the way that it went down and because of that I think everybody is very happy about this one. They're able to celebrate, they're able to enjoy it and I think it's kind of contagious throughout the whole company. Obviously the whole team has been winning and doing a good job but for now all four of the teams to be race winners this year and (for) everybody to know that every single team has the potential to go win, it makes everybody that much happier around the shop."
ON HIM BEING GOOD FRIENDS WITH JIMMIE JOHNSON AND JEFF GORDON AND IF THEY EVER GAVE HIM A PEP TALK OVER THE LAST YEAR AND REINFORCED HIS BELIEF THAT A WIN WILL HAPPEN?
"Sure, sure. Jimmie has been a great friend for a long time and I've gotten to know Jeff through all that too. I talked to several guys about different scenarios and situations they've been through, people that had tough starts, people that had starts and had immediate success. You're good friends are always there for you and those guys have always given advice. I think this year now being teammates they're able to give more technical advice and more details of what's going on on the track, what they actually do and it's really great to have that."
ON THEM BEING ABLE TO GIVE HIM TECHNICAL ADVICE:
"To be honest I can't even remember one particular time in my head, I'm just trying to give you a good answer for your question. Having good friends like that, they're always there to give advice and pat you on the back when things are bad and give you congratulations when things are going good."
NOW THAT YOU'VE WON THE NASCAR MEMORIAL DAY RACE DO YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF TRYING TO DO THE DOUBLE WITH THE INDIANAPOLIS 500?
"I've envisioned myself doing that for a lot of years, it didn't take this to make it happen. The only thing that stands between doing that and actually making it happen is the time difference. I'd love to do it sometime. For me it's not as important as it used to be in the past. Obviously the 500 still means a lot to me. It's a huge race and a huge race in my family but I felt like now that I've been here for about four or five years I feel so much more at home here now, I feel like this is my place and I'd kind of being going back there just to do the race. If it could be put together, if it could be done right with a good team that's capable of winning the race, I'd love to do it but otherwise I'd rather just focus on being successful over here on this side."
ON IF HE'D HAVE THE SPONSORS TO RACE IN THE INDY 500:
"I would imagine if it was an opportunity and Rick (Hendrick) was behind it and supportive of it, which I don't know if he would be or not. I'm sure that we could do a little calling around and drag up some interest to go do it but to be honest I haven't gotten past the first two percent even thinking about that. It's not an option right now because of the time difference. Then if that ever changes then I might get my wheels turning that way."
ON IF THEY TOOK A GAMBLE WITH FUEL LAST WEEK:
"A slight one. It was very, very small though. I think Darian (Grubb) said it best when he didn't really feel like it was a big gamble because first of all if he felt like we could make it as long as I was saving enough fuel. Secondly if we did run out it looked like the worst we were probably going to be was 10th or 12th because there wasn't that many guys on the lead lap anymore. I think that being where we were in the points if there would have been 30 guys on the lead lap it would have been a lot more difficult decision to make because we would have felt like we needed to come in and make sure we had a solid finish for the points but the fact that there were only about 10 or 12 guys on the lead lap, it gave us the option to go ahead and risk it. It was a small risk and obviously we made it."
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After a wreck in practice forced Casey Mears to a backup car last Friday at Pocono Raceway, the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team didn't skip a beat. The crew had Mears' backup Monte Carlo SS ready in time for afternoon qualifying and their driver posted the eighth-fastest lap despite having no practice time in the car.
TOP-10 COUNT:
Mears turned his eighth-place qualifying effort into a 10th-place finish at Pocono and earned his sixth top-10 finish of the year. Mears' career-best for top-10s in one season is nine, a total he achieved in both 2004 and 2005.
MEARS AT THE GLEN:
On Sunday, Mears will make his fifth career NEXTEL Cup start at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The 29-year-old driver's best result at the 2.45-mile road course came in 2004 when he led eight laps on his way to a fourth-place finish.
RE-INTRODUCING THE IMPALA SS:
The Impala SS will return to competition when the NEXTEL Cup Series makes its annual stop at Watkins Glen this weekend. In eight races featuring the Impala SS this season, Mears' best finish is a 10th-place result at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
CHASSIS 440 FOR MEARS:
Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 440 for Sunday's race at Watkins Glen. Last week, Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team tested the car at Road Atlanta in preparation for this weekend's road-course event. Chassis No. 440 also saw race action in June when Mears overcame early power steering problems and manhandled his way to a 27th-place finish at Infineon Raceway.
25 TEAM REWIND:
Car owner Rick Hendrick has earned six NEXTEL Cup wins at Watkins Glen with three different drivers, but his first victory at the 11-turn road course came in 1986 with the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Driver Tim Richmond qualified on the pole and led 29 laps en route to winning the first Cup Series race held at the Glen since 1965.
GRIDIRON CONNECTION:
While Mears is racing in Watkins Glen this weekend, his friend David Carr will be taking on the New York Giants a few hours away in East Rutherford, N.J., as the Carolina Panthers play their first NFL pre-season game of the year. It wasn't all that long ago when Carr, who joined the Panthers in April as a free-agent quarterback after spending five seasons with the Houston Texans, was sharing the football field with Mears at Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, Calif. Mears, who graduated in 1996, played fullback and halfback for the team while his strong-armed teammate racked up 16 school records in two seasons as starting quarterback for the Mustangs.
PARALLEL CAREERS:
Carr went on to play at Fresno State and was the first player selected overall in the 2002 NFL draft while Mears pursued his dream of a professional racing career through the open-wheel and stock-car ranks. Fast-forward a decade and their lives have intersected again -- but on the opposite coast of where it all began. Mears, 29, and Carr, 28, both now live in the Charlotte, N.C., area and enjoy keeping close tabs on each other's careers. On Memorial Day weekend, Carr watched from pit road as Mears won the annual 600-mile race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, which marked the Hendrick Motorsports driver's first victory at NASCAR's highest level. And when the NASCAR season wraps up in November, Mears hopes to attend a Panthers game or two and lend his support to Carr as he takes the field with his new team.
CASEY'S CROWD:
Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Watkins Glen International.
CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS:
(ON THE CHALLENGE OF RUNNING BOTH THE CUP AND BUSCH RACES THIS WEEKEND.)
"It's not easy to jump back and forth between the Busch car and the new Cup car at a road course. You have to be able to flip a switch in your head, and that was a little bit of a challenge for me back in June at Infineon (Raceway). It's a good challenge, but the two cars feel a lot different and you've just got to find a way to make the adjustment as fast as you can."
(ON HOW TEAMS MUST ADJUST TO ROAD COURSES WITH THE IMPALA SS.)
"Relative to the cars we've had in the past, the Impala SS is just a lot more difficult to drive. The way the car is built and designed does not cater to a road course. It's a top-heavy car and doesn't brake or change direction as well. So, relative to our old car, it's a good bit worse in a lot of ways, but relative to everybody else, we're all fighting the same things and dealing with the same challenges. The level playing field is good. Overall, I think everyone at Hendrick Motorsports has done a very good job with the new Impala SS, and it's up to our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team to take it from there."
(ON HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH CAROLINA PANTHERS QUARTERBACK DAVID CARR.)
"David is just a great guy and an outstanding athlete. I was nowhere near his league back in high school, but I like to think I was pretty scrappy and I know I had fun trying to keep up. It's been fun to follow his career as I was building my own, too. We haven't really been in the same place since high school, but then David signed on with the Panthers and all of sudden we were living in the same town again. It's a pretty neat twist of fate, and it's been great to have him around. I think we both feel very fortunate to be doing what we're doing right now in our careers. Back then, we were just two kids from Bakersfield with big dreams and now we get to live them out."
* * * * * * * * * *
DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS:
(ON PREPARING FOR WATKINS GLEN.)
"Road Atlanta was a good way for us to test general road-race tuning and helped us work on our setup. Watkins Glen is a tough place to find handling balance because it has the long backstretch and the high-speed, uphill esses leading into it. Plus, you still have a very heavy downhill braking zone heading into turn one after the frontstretch and some lower speed off the camber corners. So, overall balance is much more important to making the driver comfortable, and that was something we focused on in testing."
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Casey Mears gained three spots in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points standings after finishing 15th in Sunday's road-course event at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The 29-year-old driver currently sits 16th in the standings and has advanced a series-best 19 positions since winning the May 27 race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
MEARS AND MICHIGAN:
In June, Mears recorded a career-best NEXTEL Cup Series result at Michigan International Speedway when he finished fourth after 400 miles. He has two top-10 finishes and three top-10 qualifying efforts in nine career Cup Series starts at the two-mile oval.
FAST FROM THE START:
During his rookie season in the Cup Series, Mears won the June 2003 ARCA Series event at Michigan from the pole position after qualifying in track-record time.
'57 CHEVY PAINT SCHEME:
This weekend, Mears' No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Monte Carlo SS will feature a special paint scheme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1957 Chevrolet, one of the most recognizable cars in American motoring history. The scheme will include decals replicating the iconic 1957 car design.
SPEAKING OF VINTAGE:
One of Mears' most prized possessions is his 1961 Chevy Impala convertible. A few years back, he spotted the car while perusing Old Car Trader, a Web site featuring collector-car classifieds, and says he was hooked at first sight. The car features a solid-red body with red and white interior, as well as a 454 engine, 18-inch wheels on the front and 20-inch wheels on the rear.
DECK-LID SPECIAL:
In addition to the '57 Chevy paint scheme, Mears' No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet will also recognize Sundance Chevrolet of Grand Ledge, Mich., on its deck lid this weekend. As a co-primary sponsor on the No. 25 Chevrolet, GMAC recognizes outstanding GM dealerships throughout the NASCAR season. The Detroit-based company operates in approximately 40 countries in the areas of automotive finance, real estate finance, insurance and other commercial businesses.
CAR SELECTION:
Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 384 for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup event at Michigan International Speedway. The car got a surprise run at Pocono Raceway earlier this month when Mears damaged his primary car in an early practice. Chassis No. 384 proved to be no slouch, however, as Mears went on to qualify eighth and finish 10th in the race.
CLASSIC-CAR CELEBRATION:
On Thursday afternoon, Casey Mears will help unveil Chevrolet's 2008 HHR vehicle with General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz as part of activities surrounding the 2007 Woodward "Dream Cruise" in Royal Oak, Mich. The Cruise is billed as the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture, attracting more than one million visitors and 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special-interest vehicles. For more information, please visit www.woodwarddreamcruise.com.
MEARS, CASEY MEARS:
Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Michigan International Speedway.
CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS:
(ON RUNNING A SPECIAL '57 CHEVY PAINT SCHEME THIS WEEKEND.)
"I've always loved classic cars -- I have a '61 Chevy Impala convertible and a couple of hot rods here and there. My dad is big into collector car shows, and that's something I enjoy as well. Running the '57 paint scheme should be a lot of fun this weekend, and Michigan, being the home track for Chevrolet, is an especially fitting place for us to do it."
(ON THE PREFERRED LINE AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY.)
"I like running the bottom of the race track, but when you're qualifying at Michigan, it seems like you're more middle-of-the-track because it takes a lot of effort to get the car off the wall and to the bottom of the track to run a really fast lap. In the race, you tend to back up your corner a little more depending on how your car is handling."
(ON GAINING THREE POSITIONS IN THE POINTS STANDINGS AFTER RACING AT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL LAST WEEKEND.)
"Last weekend was a good points weekend for our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team. We had a solid finish, and some of the people right around us in the points had problems. But with only four races to go before the Chase, we're still a long ways out. We definitely need great finishes and a little luck these next few weeks. We're focused on getting everything we can."
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Casey Mears Bank Of America 500 NNCS Race Previews
Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release
TIME TO DEFEND:
For the first time in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series career, Casey Mears will return to a track as the defending winner. Mears won the May 27 event at Lowe's Motor Speedway, marking his first victory in NASCAR's premier division and kicking off an impressive run by the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team. Mears has recorded 13 top-15 finishes, nine top-10s and five top-fives in his past 19 races.
MEMORIAL DAY MEMORIES:
Mears' victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway was an emotional one. Not only was it his first career NEXTEL Cup win, but it was also a special event for one of his primary sponsors, the National Guard. That weekend, the team fielded a special paint scheme honoring National Guard soldiers who had lost their lives in the Global War on Terror.
MEARS' MOMENTUM:
If Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC team had made the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, they would currently be ranked fourth in the standings, just 73 points behind leader and teammate Jeff Gordon. Mears is the only driver to have scored a top-10 finish in each of the first four Chase races this season.
AMAZING TURNAROUND:
With six races remaining on the 2007 schedule, Mears sits a mere 116 points back of 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the NEXTEL Cup standings. After the season's 11th race, the No. 25 team was 35th in points with just one top-10 finish to its credit.
TOP-10s TELL THE STORY:
Beginning with the May 27 race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Mears and the National Guard/GMAC team have clicked off nine top-10 finishes. Only four NEXTEL Cup drivers -- Jeff Gordon (14), Tony Stewart (14), Jimmie Johnson (11) and Denny Hamlin (10) -- have recorded more during that span.
HAIL THE VICTORS:
On Wednesday, Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC team will be presented with their winner's rings from the May race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The team-only event will take place at Hendrick Motorsports.
SWEEPING TREND:
In the past three NEXTEL Cup seasons, the driver who won the May event at Lowe's Motor Speedway also won there in October. If history repeats itself, Mears will become the third driver in four seasons to complete the sweep, joining Kasey Kahne (2006) and teammate Jimmie Johnson (2004 and 2005).
HENDRICK AT LOWE'S:
Hendrick Motorsports has won six of the last nine NEXTEL Cup races at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears posted the most recent win at the 1.5-mile track in May, with teammate Jimmie Johnson contributing five victories. Rick Hendrick leads all car owners with 14 Cup-level wins there.
GRUBB'S CHOICE:
National Guard/GMAC crew chief Darian Grubb has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 357 for this Saturday's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Chassis 357 is the same car that visited victory lane at LMS in May.
AUTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE:
Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 1 p.m. local time on Friday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Lowe's Motor Speedway.
CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC CHEVROLET:
(ON RETURNING TO LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY AS THE DEFENDING WINNER.)
"I'm excited. We had a really good car there -- a top-five car the whole night. Obviously, the times change when you go back. The temperatures change, the track changes a little bit. You got to keep up with all that, but I feel very good about going back and having as good a run as we did (in May)."
(ON HAVING THE NATIONAL GUARD AS A SPONSOR.)
"I think that a lot of people follow what we do. It's impressive. When you sign up with the National Guard, whether you are on the race team or you are a National Guard soldier, you are a part of their team. That Memorial Day win was huge for everybody. As soon as you sign on with the Guard, you are signing up with 350,000 strong and all of them support you unconditionally, which is really cool."
(ON GETTING HIS FIRST NASCAR NEXTEL CUP VICTORY EARLIER THIS YEAR AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY.)
"Anything else I've ever raced in my whole career, I've won races in. To be in a series for four years and not win a race was difficult. Crossing (the start-finish line) and getting that checkered flag for the first time, whatever came out was going to come out. I didn't really have any control over what I said or how I said it. It was definitely an emotional victory and a lot of relief lifted off my shoulders. It was pure reality. I wasn't putting on a show. It was all natural what was coming out. I was very excited when we won, and it couldn't happen with a better group of guys."
(ON HIS FIRST NEXTEL CUP SERIES WIN AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND HOW THE NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC TEAM CONTINUES TO IMPROVE.)
"It was a good boost for everybody, but the next weekend it was back to reality. We backed it up with a couple good finishes at Pocono and Michigan right after the win. We are working real hard at picking it up. We keep gaining in the points as far as who we are racing and trying to get to that 13th spot. We just have to continue to make progress."
(ON WHAT HE REMEMBERS THE MOST AFTER WINNING HIS FIRST NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN MAY.)
"Hearing 'one lap to go.' I remember what the guys said on the radio (after the race), and seeing my friends and family in victory lane. It was huge -- my parents being there and Jimmie (Johnson) coming in at the end. He is like a brother to me. It was just great to see him. A lot of guys from the 41 and 42 team came by from Ganassi. I've made a lot of good friends over the years, and to see them all come over to victory lane was big."
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Casey Mears will make his 10th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this Sunday. In his nine previous starts at the track, Mears has posted one top-10 finish -- a sixth-place run last October. Brake issues plagued the National Guard/GMAC team in the April race at Martinsville this year, resulting in a 42nd-place finish.
TOP-FIVE WANTED:
In 175 career NEXTEL Cup starts, Mears has earned 11 top-five finishes, but none have come on short tracks. Mears has earned three superspeedway top-fives, seven on intermediate tracks and one on a road course.
REACHING THEIR GOAL:
The National Guard/GMAC team advanced one position to 14th in the NEXTEL Cup standings following Saturday night's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The team has set a goal to finish the season 13th, the highest position available. Mears trails his future Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 122 points.
IF IN THE CHASE:
In spite of Mears' 21st-place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday night, he would still be fourth in the title hunt had he qualified for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, only 163 points behind teammate and current leader Jeff Gordon.
TOPPING THE CHARTS:
Mears first season at Hendrick Motorsports has been a good one. He earned his first career victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May, and his five top-five finishes and 10 top-10s are also career bests for the 29-year-old driver.
HOMETOWN CREW CHIEF:
Crew chief Darian Grubb was raised in Floyd, Va., only one hour northwest of Martinsville Speedway. The Virginia Tech graduate will make his second start at Martinsville as a crew chief, but is no stranger to success on the half mile. As team engineer, Grubb earned two Martinsville victories with the No. 48 team and driver Jimmie Johnson in October 2004 and October 2006.
GRUBB'S CHOICE:
Grubb has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 462 for this Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. Chassis 462 was most recently raced at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in September, when Mears led six laps before finishing 17th.
AUTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE:
Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Martinsville Speedway.
CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS:
(WHAT MAKES MARTINSVILLE SO CHALLENGING?)
"Martinsville has been a tough track, and I've had a lot of bad luck there. I feel like over the past couple of years I've finally gotten the hang of that place. This year we had a couple of issues and problems that got us behind in the race, but I think we would have been pretty good. It's a short track, and coming from the open-wheel side of things, I just didn't run a lot of short tracks. It took me a while to figure it out, but now I feel pretty good."
(DOES THE ADAGE "YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN TO GO FAST" FIT FOR MARTINSVILLE?)
"That's the biggest problem with Martinsville: overdriving. You have to go in there, you have to stop, you have to get it turned, and get it pointed and get it off. If you're going to treat it like a track where you're going to carry momentum, it will just never work."
(DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WOULD BE IN THE CHASE IF YOU HAD QUALIFIED?)
"We're not in it, so there's no reason to dwell on it. But it's nice to know that had we gotten into the Chase, we have a team that could step up to the plate and compete. I think we continue to grow and get better. It's been a lot of fun to see this team go through different stages and see where it is now."
(DO YOU EAT MARTINSVILLE HOT DOGS?)
"I always eat Martinsville hot dogs. I eat a few of them when we're there. I love them. They're good. I think it's the chili that's on them. It's definitely not the color of them."
(WHAT'S YOUR ADVICE TO OTHER OPEN-WHEEL DRIVERS COMING INTO STOCK CAR RACING?)
"I think that (Juan) Montoya has come in and done a pretty good job with the amount of experience he's had. But he's been fortunate to compete at the top level in a lot of different series, so he has a lot of experience. For the guys that are coming over here fresh, it just takes time. It's one of those deals where it doesn't happen overnight. You have to learn these cars, the tracks, the way that the tires respond. They have to understand that it is very competitive over here. I think a lot of them don't understand that until they try it. This is the hardest form of motor sports in the United States to run inside the top five and the top 10. You have to set realistic goals and learn as much as you possibly can. Then you take down those goals and make new ones. More of my advice would go to the owners that are hiring them, to just give them time and let them figure it out."
DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS:
(HOW HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR TEAM IMPROVE OVER THE SEASON?)
"I've witnessed the team just starting to work together -- growing and learning through our mistakes and getting stronger each week. We put ourselves way behind at the beginning of the year with bad finishes, wrecks and just plain bad luck. Fighting back from that has made us stronger as a group, and it lets us know that we can lean on each other in times of need. We didn't get back to where we are now by just letting the chips fall where they may. We have worked many long hours, and we've have had the support of every department within Hendrick Motorsports to make up the ground we have. We have learned more about what Casey likes for a feel in his race cars, and he has learned more about what we need as feedback to make better decisions about changes to the car."
(ON WHAT CREW CHIEFS HAVE TO BE MOST CONCERNED WITH AT MARTINSVILLE.)
"Martinsville is all about getting a driver comfortable enough to find his rhythm. It is such a driver's race track, and it is even more so now with the Impala SS. You have to be patient and smooth enough to avoid tearing up your equipment, but aggressive enough to make passes on the tightest circuit in NASCAR. The inputs and car reactions are so violent at Martinsville, that it's a fun challenge to find the balance between great braking, tight and fast cornering, and wide-open throttle acceleration. Imagine the driving control you would have to have to slam on the brakes at the last possible second and still stop before hitting a parked car at a stop light and then floor the gas pedal as soon as the light turns green, all while turning the car a complete 180 degrees in a 400-foot circle on a flat parking lot. Now do that faster than anyone else 1,000 times with no mistakes or breaking any parts and you've figured out Martinsville."
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Casey Mears Watkins Glen NNCS Race Preview
Casey Mears 3M Performance 400 Race Preview