Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 - Casey Mears Notes

PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
VENUE: PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE NINE OF 35)
EVENT: FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 2007 (200 LAPS, 200 MILES)

BEST PHOENIX FINISH: Casey Mears posted an eighth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in April 2006, marking his best-ever NASCAR Busch Series effort at the one-mile track. Friday will be Mears' fifth career Busch Series start there.

ANOTHER TOP FIVE: With a fourth-place finish Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, the No. 24 National Guard team has now posted three top-five results in its four starts this season. Last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Mears was involved in a multi-car accident while running in the top 10.

DOWN IN THE DUNES: Mears used the short break between the races at Texas and Phoenix to spend time working out the kinks in the dune buggy he purchased over the off-season. This is Mears' second trip to the dunes this season. He also spent time "off-roading" prior to the race weekend in Las Vegas.

'BUSHMASTERS' BUSCH RACING: The 153rd Field Artillery "Bushmasters" Brigade will be honored on the No. 24 National Guard Chevrolet this weekend. The Bushmasters are located in several areas of Arizona, including Phoenix. Members of the brigade just returned from active duty in Mosul, Iraq, in November.

CHASSIS 402: Crew chief Chad Walter has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 402 for Friday's Busch Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. The car has never been raced, but was tested last month at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

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CRAZY FOR CASEY: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 2:15 p.m. local time on Saturday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Phoenix International Raceway.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET: (ON THE NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD TEAM'S PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR.) "This team has just been so great to work with. Daytona was a really rough way to start the season, but we've bounced back better than I think anyone could have imagined. Our intermediate track performance is solid, with top-five finishes at California, Atlanta and Texas. Phoenix this weekend will be a little different because the track is so different, but I don't expect anything less as far as our performance is concerned."

MEARS: (ON PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY.) "Phoenix is a really flat track like Martinsville. I don't necessarily like flat tracks as much. They're fun to drive, but I really like the speed that you get from high-banked tracks. I just like that feeling. It's not that I don't enjoy the flat tracks, or the different challenges they bring, but I like high-speed tracks a little more."

MEARS: (ON SPENDING TIME IN THE SAND DUNES.) "It's really just a place for me to relax and forget about the everyday stress. I grew up going to the dunes and still love it. It's quiet. There's no cell phones ringing. And it's all about having fun. I try to go out as much as I can."