USG Durock 300 - Chicagoland Speedway

Mears' Gamble Pays Off, Gets Him First NASCAR Win
Casey Mears used a gamble on fuel mileage to win the USG Durock 300 at Chicagoland Speedway by 0.525 seconds over a hard charging Carl Edwards. For Mears, this is his first NASCAR Busch Series win, as well as his first win in any NASCAR series, in his 69th career series start. Today’s win comes in his third NASCAR Busch Series race at Chicagoland, and it is his second top-five finish at the Joliet track. Mears led 47 of the event’s 200 laps on the day, leading the last 47 of the race. Mears gained the lead on lap 153 after he chose not to pit with the leaders. Mears and crew chief Brad Parrott decided to stretch their fuel mileage to the max in hopes of getting the win. The risk turned in to reward when Mears took the checkered flag, although he ran out of gas as he was about to do celebratory doughnuts in the grass. In six NASCAR Busch Series races this season, Mears has notched one win, three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Edwards, who started the race from the pole, took the second position after leading three times for a total of 53 laps in the race. Jeff Burton, who also played the fuel mileage game with Mears, ended up in the third spot, followed by teammate and points leader Kevin Harvick in the fourth position. Matt Kenseth crossed the stripe in fifth, with a slew of NEXTEL Cup regulars behind him. Johnny Sauter was the highest finishing Busch Series-only driver in the 17th spot, as the Cup invaders took the top 16 finishing positions.

USG Durock 300 Notes
· Race Results · Rookie Post-Race Quotes · Point Standings · Owner Point Standings · Starting Lineup · Qualifying Results · Final Practice · Rookie Final Practice Quotes · Practice 2: Rookie Practice · Practice 1 · Qualifying Order · Entry List · Race Notes · Weekend Schedule · Raybestos Rookie Notes · Cale Gale Notes · Bobby Labonte Notes	· Kevin Harvick Notes · Clint Bowyer Notes · Kyle Busch Notes · Kenny Wallace Notes · Jason Leffler Notes · John Andretti Notes · Todd Kluever Notes · David Green Notes · Danny O’Quinn, Jr. Notes · Reed Sorenson Notes · Matt Kenseth Notes · Tim Sauter Notes · Kasey Kahne Notes · Casey Mears Notes · Jeff Burton Notes · David Gilliland Notes · Martin Truex Jr. Notes

Edwards Wins Chicagoland Busch Series Pole
Carl Edwards put his Duck Tape/Henkel Ford Fusion on the pole position for today’s USG Durock 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. Edwards qualified in 30.590 seconds, at an average speed of 176.528 mph, to earn his sixth career Busch Pole and second of the season. It comes in his 55th start in the NASCAR Busch Series. Edwards captured his first pole of the season in the second race of 2006 at California, where he finished third. This is Edwards’ second Busch Series start at Chicagoland Speedway. He started ninth in his only previous start at this track in 2005 and finished fourth. Edwards has not finished outside of the top 10 in any of the six races that he has started as the pole sitter. He won from the pole three times last season – Atlanta (spring), Kentucky and Phoenix (fall). Edwards is currently second in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings, 388 points behind leader Kevin Harvick. He has two wins, nine top fives and 13 top-10 finishes so far this season. Dave Blaney will start alongside Edwards on the front row after capturing the outside pole position. Kurt Busch qualified in the third position, followed by Reed Sorenson in fourth. Denny Hamlin will roll off from the fifth spot, as NEXTEL Cup drivers swept the top seven starting positions.