PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS)
VENUE: LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE QUAD-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (NON-POINTS EVENT)
EVENT: SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2007 (80 LAPS, 120 MILES)

ALL-STAR DEBUT: Casey Mears will compete in his first NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears' No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports team secured its spot in the event after earning a victory at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in 2006.

MEARS AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Mears counts Lowe's Motor Speedway among his favorite tracks on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series circuit. In eight career Cup starts at the 1.5-mile quad-oval, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has two top-10 finishes and three top-10 qualifying efforts.

SPEEDY CAR: Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 384 for this weekend's All-Star Challenge. The car qualified on the pole at Texas Motor Speedway last November and rolled off 10th for the NEXTEL Cup event at California Speedway earlier this season.

MORE R07 PLEASE: The Chevrolet R07 engine will power Mears' No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Monte Carlo SS this weekend, as well as the Chevrolets driven by teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. In April, Mears became the first Hendrick Motorsports driver to race the new motor in 2007 NEXTEL Cup Series competition when he finished 23rd at Texas Motor Speedway. The R07 is Chevrolet's first complete engine redesign since 1955.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND THE ALL-STAR CHALLENGE: Car owner Rick Hendrick has fielded 58 entries in the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, the most of any car owner. Those 58 entries have included 12 different drivers and six main event wins.

TEAM APPROACH: On Wednesday evening, the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet pit crew will compete in the third annual NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Pit Crew Challenge at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C. The team is seeded 22nd for the event and will take on the No. 26 team in first-round competition. Last year, the No. 25 team defeated the No. 88 team in the opening round with a winning time of 27.80 seconds, which was the second-fastest time among Hendrick Motorsports' four entries.

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NASCAR DAY TELETHON: Casey Mears, driver of the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet, will stop by the first-ever NASCAR Day telethon at 12:30 p.m. local time on Friday to help raise awareness and support for the Hendrick Marrow Program. The charitable, all-day telethon is sponsored by the NASCAR Foundation and will take place at the Sam Bass Gallery in Concord, N.C.

AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 4 p.m. local time on Saturday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Lowe's Motor Speedway.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS: (ON WHAT MAKES THE ALL-STAR CHALLENGE FUN.) "It's exciting because nobody's thinking about points. It's all about the win. You're literally thinking, 'Either I'm going to win this thing or bring (the car) home on a rollback.' There's a little strategy involved, but for the most part, everyone's driving as hard as they can from start to finish."

MEARS: (ON COMPETING IN HIS FIRST ALL-STAR CHALLENGE.) "Obviously, I'm in a different position this year because in the past I've had to compete in the qualifying event and always wanted to make it in. So, it's nice to inherit the spot, and I owe the 25 team for that. I'm so excited for this race -- I have been for awhile now -- and we'll be looking to make the most of this opportunity."

MEARS: (ON LOGGING SOME MORE LAPS WITH THE R07 ENGINE.) "It's a strong motor, and it performed well for our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team in Texas. We're looking forward to having some more race time with it this weekend."