PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC CHEVROLET)
VENUE: CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE D-SHAPED OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE TWO OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, FEB. 25, 2007 (250 LAPS, 500 MILES)

CALIFORNIA KID: A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Mears grew up 160 miles from California Speedway and considers the two-mile oval to be his hometown track on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series circuit.

VERSATILE SUCCESS: In 2000, Mears made his CART Series debut at California Speedway and finished fourth after leading 10 laps. Mears also won a NASCAR Busch Series pole position at the track in 2004 and owns two top-10 finishes in seven career NEXTEL Cup starts there.

CHASSIS 384 FOR MEARS: Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 384 for this weekend's Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. The car last saw action in November at Texas Motor Speedway, where it qualified on the pole and led five laps before finishing 27th.

'HERO OF THE YEAR': This weekend at California Speedway, Staff Sgt. Quinton D. Martin of Gulfport, Miss., will have his image displayed on the hood of the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet as the winner of the first-ever National Guard "Hero of the Year" award sponsored by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service. Martin served in Iraq with the 1,108th Aviation Support Detachment and has been a member of the National Guard for 24 years. For more information about the "Heroes of the Year" campaign, visit www.supporttheguard.com.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT FONTANA: Rick Hendrick has earned five NEXTEL Cup Series wins at California Speedway, the most of any car owner.

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MEET THE FANS: Mears will greet fans and sign autographs from 8:30-9 a.m. on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside California Speedway.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC CHEVROLET: (ON WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED AT CALIFORNIA AND WHAT A WIN THERE WOULD MEAN TO HIM.) "Being from California, it's definitely a high priority for me to run well at Fontana, but you have to have a car there that can turn. Everybody gets so tight at that race track, and you really have to focus on having a car that turns well over the course of a long run. If we can do that with our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet, I think we'll be in good shape. I have a lot of friends and family showing up for the race, and I'd love to get my first (NEXTEL Cup Series) win at California. That would be awesome."

MEARS: (ON THE NEW NASCAR-MANDATED FUEL CELL AND WHETHER OR NOT MORE STOPS FOR FUEL WILL IMPROVE PITTING RHYTHM.) "When you pit more often, it can go either way. You might start to feel more comfortable and start pushing the limits because you've done it 10 times already. But you've got to hold yourself back and say, 'all right, right here is not where we need to pass 10 guys -- we just need to come out where we came in, and if we can pick up a spot or two, great.' You need to be patient because a small mistake is a big mistake on pit road because you lose so much time."

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DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC CHEVROLET: (ON RETURNING TO FONTANA, WHERE HE LED JIMMIE JOHNSON AND THE NO. 48 CHEVROLET TEAM TO A RUNNER-UP FINISH LAST FEBRUARY.) "I'm looking forward to taking our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet to California this weekend. We didn't get the finish we wanted last week in Daytona, but I was proud of our effort. We stuck with it all day and put ourselves in good position in the final stretch. That kind of effort will help us succeed at any track, and hopefully we'll see the benefits in California."