Daytona 500 - Casey Mears Notes

Casey Mears and No. 41 Target Dodge
Daytona 500 - Daytona International Speedway

Target Team Facts:

· Testing: Casey Mears and the Target Team finished ninth overall on the speed charts during testing at Daytona International Speedway. Mears piloted the No. 41 Doge around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 48.011 seconds.

· Chassis: Crew chief Jimmy Elledge and the Target Team are bringing chassis #210 for the “All-American Race.” Mears drove this car in January during the team’s three-day test at Daytona.

· Daytona Facts: Mears completed 318 out of 319 laps in the three events he ran at Daytona International Speedway in NASCAR’s elite series in 2003. He finished 15th in the Gatorade 125’s, 27th in the Daytona 500 and 25th in the Pepsi 400 last year.

· Mears Notes: Mears begins his sophomore season in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series at Daytona. He ran in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2002 before making the jump to the Cup Series. The 2004 season also marks the first year in his young NASCAR career that he will return with the same crew chief, team and sponsor.

Casey Mears Quotes:

Thoughts on Daytona… “Daytona is the most exciting race of the season,” said Mears. “Your adrenaline is rushing from the minute you get to the track until the checkered flag waves. There is so much emphasis put on the Daytona 500 during the off-season that you want to come here and run well. We had a great test session and a good finish can set the tone for the season.

“I’m really excited about this season. Last year was a huge learning experience for me, and I have much higher expectations for this season. When I came to Daytona last year I thought I was mentally prepared for what I was facing, but it is nothing like the feeling I have this year. I have a lot more confidence in myself and this team. I think that comes from the experience of knowing what to expect and what it takes to be successful on and off the track.

“Jimmy (Elledge) and I have one year together under our belts and that will make a huge difference. We spent a large portion of last season learning how to communicate to each other. Chip (Ganassi) and Felix (Sabates) have given me the opportunity to really showcase my talents, and that’s just what I intend to do.”