PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS)
VENUE: CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE TRI-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 19 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2007 (267 LAPS, 400 MILES)

FIRST-WIN MEMORIES: In 2006, Casey Mears won his first NASCAR race at any level when he took the checkered flag in NASCAR Busch Series competition at Chicagoland Speedway. He also won a Busch Series pole award at the 1.5-mile tri-oval in 2003.

MEARS LIKES CHICAGOLAND: In four career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series starts at Chicagoland, Mears has never qualified outside of the top 12. The 29-year-old driver's best Cup Series finish at the track came in 2005 when he finished ninth after 267 laps.

CHASSIS 357 IS A WINNER: Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 357 for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup event at Chicagoland. The car visited victory lane in late May when Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team won the annual 600-mile NEXTEL Cup event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears also piloted Chassis No. 357 to a fourth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in June.

DECKLID SHOUT-OUT: This weekend, Bob Watson Chevrolet of Harvey, Ill., will be featured on the decklid of Mears' No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet. As a co-primary sponsor on the No. 25 Chevrolet, GMAC recognizes outstanding General Motors dealerships throughout the NASCAR season. The Detroit-based company operates in approximately 40 countries in the areas of automotive finance, real estate finance, insurance and other commercial businesses.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT CHICAGOLAND: Hendrick Motorsports' lone Cup Series win at Chicagoland Speedway came in 2006 when Jeff Gordon led 20 laps en route to his first victory at the Joliet, Ill., track.

PIT CREW KUDOS: The No. 25 National Guard/GMAC over-the-wall crew claimed its first Checkers/Rally's Double Drive-Thru Challenge win of the season by spending the least amount of time on pit road during last weekend's Pepsi 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The No. 25 crew will be awarded $11,000 by Checkers/Rally's for winning the weekly competition.

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MEARS AND ME: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 10:30 a.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Chicagoland Speedway.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS: (ON FINISHING 19TH IN THE PEPSI 400 LAST WEEKEND.) "I wish we could have brought home a better finish for the National Guard and GMAC because we had a really good car. Right there at the end, we were a little bit too loose, but we made the decision to stay out when everybody came in. I thought it was a good call -- and I still do -- because if the race had stayed green, we would have been up front and in position for a great finish. Unfortunately, when that last caution came out and bunched everybody back up, we were just at a little bit of a disadvantage, and I was too loose to keep the car at the bottom of the track."

MEARS: (ON RETURNING TO CHICAGOLAND.) "I love racing at Chicagoland. I'm not sure what it is about that place, but from the very first time I put a tire to the track there, I've been fast. And obviously, it's a special place for me because I got my first Busch Series win there."

MEARS: (ON WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN WELL AT CHICAGOLAND.) "The biggest thing is that your car can get really tight there, so you have to be plenty free enough early in a run to be good after about 10 laps. So basically, you're just hanging on in the beginning so that when guys start to tighten up, you can start to get underneath them. Momentum is also huge at that track and getting through lapped traffic is critical. Lapped cars can cost you two or three seconds if you get held up behind somebody who's a half-second slower than you are."

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DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS: (ON TAKING WINNING HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CHASSIS NO. 357 TO CHICAGOLAND.) "Obviously, this has been a great car for us, and it's becoming a workhorse chassis for us this season. We're excited to take it to Chicagoland. Casey has a knack for getting around that track, and we're looking forward to a strong run there."