PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS)
VENUE: CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE D-SHAPED OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 25 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, SEPT. 2, 2007 (250 LAPS, 500 MILES)

RACING CLOSE TO HOME: A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Casey Mears grew up roughly 160 miles northwest of California Speedway. The 29-year-old driver is a 1996 graduate of Bakersfield's Stockdale High School, where he played fullback and halfback on the football team when he wasn't racing his way up the motor sports ranks.

SCOUTING BAKERSFIELD: Team owners in several sports might consider making a stop in Bakersfield when scouting the nation for new talent. The California city boasts both Mears and current NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick as homegrown stars, as well as current NFL quarterback David Carr, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Frank Gifford and former NBA guard Chris Childs.

MEARS AT FONTANA: 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 runner-up finishes in Busch Series competition there, including a second-place result earlier this year. In eight career Cup Series starts at the two-mile oval, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has two top-10 finishes.

MY FAVORITE CAR: Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 357 for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup event at California Speedway. The car visited Victory Lane in May when Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team won the annual 600-mile race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Additionally, Chassis No. 357 earned a fourth-place result at Michigan International Speedway -- California's sister track -- in June.

FONTANA FLASHBACK: Ten years ago, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon led 113 laps en route to winning the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race held at California Speedway. Gordon's teammate, Terry Labonte, finished second after pacing the field for 41 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet, and driver Ricky Craven led eight laps before bringing the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports entry home ninth in the inaugural race.

HOMECOMING TIMES TWO: Mears isn't the only member of the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team who feels right at home when racing at California Speedway. Chris "Happy" Hamilton, who handles catch-can duties for the No. 25 team, is a native of nearby Redlands, Calif. Hamilton, 44, has worked in all three NASCAR series since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 1999.

PUT TO THE TEST: Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team have been busy testing this week. On Monday, the team visited Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., to prep Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 462 -- a brand new car -- for its debut next weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. And on Tuesday, Mears and company headed south to Atlanta Motor Speedway to take part in a two-day Goodyear tire test rescheduled from last week.

REMEMBERING FALLEN FRIENDS: This weekend, Sgt. Nick Ashby of Temecula, Calif., will cruise into California Speedway with his Infiniti G35 coupe, a distinctive car made even more memorable by its unique paint scheme. As a member of the California National Guard 579th Engineer Battalion, the 26-year-old Ashby lost three of his closest friends while serving in Iraq in 2004, and decided after returning home that he wanted to honor his fallen comrades in a way they would have loved. With help from numerous sponsors and the National Guard, Ashby built the coupe as a project car and designed its striking exterior, which features the National Guard motto and creed, as well as the names and faces of his fallen friends. As a result of his efforts, Ashby appeared on the August 2007 cover of Import Tuner magazine and has won numerous awards on the Hot Import Nights (HIN) tuner circuit. The coupe is currently touring the nation as part of the National Guard's Recruiting and Retention program and will be on display near the National Guard motorcoach in California Speedway's infield this weekend.

* * * * * * * * * *

MEARS FANS UNITE: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 12:45 p.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside California Speedway.

* * * * * * * * * *

CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS: (ON HIS "MUST DO" LIST WHEN COMING HOME TO CALIFORNIA.) "Seeing my family -- my niece, nephew, brother and sister-in-law -- is definitely my first priority when I get back home. A close second is stopping by Luigi's, my favorite restaurant. It's an Italian place right in downtown Bakersfield, and a trip home wouldn't be complete without having a meal there."

MEARS: (ON CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY'S GROWING SIMILARITIES TO MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY.) "I think California has widened out a lot in the past couple of years, which gives it that Michigan feel. But also, I think the drivers are exploring more, too. The competition at this level gets tighter and tighter all the time, and it gets harder and harder to be one of those top-10, top-five guys. I think that makes all of us search a little bit more and try to find other areas to make the car work better, including running the high groove at Fontana more than we have in the past."

MEARS: (ON RACING WINNING CHASSIS NO. 357 THIS WEEKEND.) "It's a great car and obviously one I'm pretty attached to after our win at Charlotte. It's funny, but there's always a car or two that sticks with you like that during the course of a season. It's a car that just feels a little more comfortable and a little more familiar no matter how long it's been since you've driven it or how good your other cars might be."