Casey Mears, #41 Target Dodge
Sylvania 300 Advance
RACE INFORMATION:
EVENT: Sylvania 300 (race 27 of 36)
TRACK: New Hampshire International Speedway
QUALIFYING: Friday, September 12, 3:00 p.m. ET
RACE: Sunday, September 14, 1:00 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: TNT television and MRN radio
TARGET TEAM FACTS:
* Gravity Games: Casey Mears is scheduled to visit the Gravity Games in Cleveland on Thursday, September 11th along with Jamie McMurray and Jeremy Mayfield. Mears has a few Target Teammates in the Games --- Nate Adams (motocross), Kevin Robinson (bike vert) and Koji Kraft (bike vert)----are all sponsored by Target.
* Solid Racing: Casey Mears had his most solid race of the season in the New England 300 at NHIS in July. Mears started the race in 35th position due to a qualifying rain out. At the start of the race, Mears' Target Dodge was very tight in the corners. Team Target continued to make adjustments on the car during pit stops and the car finally started to come around to Mears during the second half of the race.
One of Mears' biggest challenges of the race came on lap 228, when he was racing with Tony Stewart for 25th position. Stewart took the inside line and pushed Mears out of the way sending his Target Dodge high up the track and dropping him back to 31st position. Mears showed great focus as he raced his way up to a 16th place finish within those remaining 72 laps.
* Car: Team Target is taking chassis # 112 at New Hampshire this weekend. This is the same car that raced in both Bristol races(32nd and 21st) and at Rockingham (30th) this season.
* Raybestos Rookie Teammates: Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray are the first teammate rookies to compete for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. Mears currently sits in third place in rookie points while McMurray leads the points.
* Leader: Mears became the first 2003 rookie to lead a lap and the only rookie to lead a lap in the Daytona 500.
