Winn-Dixie 250 - Casey Mears Notes

PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
VENUE: DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (2.5-MILE TRI-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE 19 OF 35)
EVENT: FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2007 (100 LAPS, 250 MILES)

STREAKING: Casey Mears has been on a hot streak in the NASCAR Busch Series as of late, posting nine consecutive top-10 finishes.

NO RETRICTIONS: Mears' most recent restrictor plate performance occurred at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April. He started fourth and led 52 laps before finishing third.

DAYTONA HISTORY: Mears last raced at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July 2004, where he posted his Busch Series career-best finish of seventh at the superspeedway.

RESTICTOR PLATE ACTION: Mears has competed in six career Busch Series restrictor plate races, three each at Daytona and Talladega. In total, he has earned two top-five finishes, three top-10s and has led a total of 54 laps.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS: This weekend, the 53rd Infantry "Gator" Brigade will be honored on the No. 24 National Guard Chevrolet. The Gator Brigade is the largest National Guard unit in the state of Florida. Two infantry battalions from this brigade served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and were some of the first National Guard soldiers in Iraq during the initiative.

NEW CAR: Crew chief Chad Walter has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 222 for Friday's Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway. The car was tested at Daytona in February.

* * * * * * * * * *

AUTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 3:45 p.m. local time on Saturday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Daytona International Speedway.

* * * * * * * * * *

CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET: (ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUSCH SERIES AND NEXTEL CUP CARS AT RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACKS.) "With the fins on the roof of the (Busch Series) cars, definitely they suck up a little better. With more drag and a little bit more downforce, they run a little slower and it's easier to run two-, three- and four-wide. All the same things apply. You've got to work with guys out there, get to the front and stay out of that 'big one.' I like to try to focus on getting to the front the whole race. Some guys lay back. I think if you're trying to get to the front the whole race, you've learned how to get to the front and you know how to do it at the end when you need to. That's one thing that I really focus on. And the Busch Series is a good warm-up for the Cup side. Obviously, they handle a little different, but a lot of the same strategies apply."

MEARS: (ON WORKING WITH HIS BUSCH SERIES TEAMMATE, KYLE BUSCH.) "When it comes to about five to go, you've kind of got to start fending for yourself a little bit. You want to help your teammate as much as you can, but at the same time, I'd much rather win the race than finish second. But if you don't work with somebody you could very easily finish 32nd as well."