Aaron’s 312 - Casey Mears Notes

PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
VENUE: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE TRI-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR BUSCH SERIES (RACE 10 OF 35)
EVENT: SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2007 (117 LAPS, 312 MILES)

SUPERSPEEDWAY TOP-FIVE: In 2002, Casey Mears posted a fifth-place finish in his Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway debut in the NASCAR Busch Series. His only other Busch Series start at the 2.66-mile oval resulted in a 26th-place finish after being involved in an accident just past the race's halfway point.

FISHING WITH THE PROS: Mears spent Tuesday morning fishing with his National Guard Busch Series team and 40 professional anglers on Lake Wylie near Charlotte, N.C. The team was divided with each crew member sharing a boat with a pro from the FLW Tour. The winning team had a combined five-fish weight of more than 11 pounds.

NATIONAL GUARD OPEN: The National Guard will be busy this weekend sponsoring Mears in both the NASCAR Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup Series as well as its National Guard angling team in the inaugural National Guard Open FLW Tournament on Lake Norman in Mooresville, N.C., April 26-29.

MEARS BRINGS THE THUNDER: The 155th Armored "Rolling Thunder" Brigade from Tupelo, Miss., will be honored on the No. 24 National Guard Chevrolet this weekend. The Rolling Thunder Brigade has served in the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

CHASSIS 278: Crew chief Chad Walter has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 278 for Saturday's Busch Series race at Talladega. It is the same car that Kyle Busch drove to a third-place finish at Talladega last April.

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AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 8:45 a.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Talladega Superspeedway.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 24 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET: (ON RESTRICTOR PLATE RACING.) "Running in a pack going 200 miles per hour, there's always a lot going on. I've gotten to the point where I really enjoy running in a draft. Over the last couple of years, understanding how the draft works has been huge for me. It's become fun. It's the only way to get to the front and stay there."

MEARS: (ON WORKING WITH HIS TEAMMATE KYLE BUSCH.) "Having teammates on a restrictor plate track with you is so important. And at Talladega you can even work more together than what you would see at Daytona. At Talladega, the corners are so much bigger, you're going to see packs the entire race. I got to work with Kyle during the Cup race at Daytona and look forward to doing the same this weekend."

MEARS: (ON FISHING WITH HIS TEAM AND PROFESSIONAL ANGLERS.) "Tuesday was a lot of fun. We got paired up with professionals, which is a good thing, because I think if they had left us on our own there wouldn't have been many fish brought back. The National Guard was incredible having us out there and really bringing together their NASCAR and FLW efforts. The team had a great time and it was good to get out there and really enjoy a day together away from the track."