PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS)
VENUE: INFINEON RACEWAY (1.99-MILE ROAD COURSE)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 16 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2007 (110 LAPS, 218.9 MILES)

SUMMER HEAT: Casey Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team will look to continue their recent hot streak when the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series visits Infineon Raceway this weekend. Mears earned a career-best Michigan International Speedway result last Sunday when he turned a 13th-place qualifying effort into a fourth-place finish. It was the No. 25 team's third top-five effort in four weeks.

A PEEK AT THE POINTS: Since winning the annual 600-mile race at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 27, Mears has jumped an impressive 16 spots in the Cup Series point standings. He currently sits in 19th and is 217 points out of 12th, the final spot in this year's Chase for the Championship.

SONOMA RECORD: Mears' best finish at Infineon came in 2004 when he finished seventh after 218.9 miles. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has completed every lap in his four career Cup Series starts at the 10-turn road course.

CHASSIS 440 FOR MEARS: Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 440 -- a brand-new car -- for Sunday's NEXTEL Cup event in Sonoma, Calif. The race will mark the debut of the Impala SS in road-course competition. In late May, the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team prepped for this weekend's event by testing at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

HONORING BAY-AREA HEROES: Prior to Sunday's NEXTEL Cup race, members of the United States military -- all from northern California -- will drive select Cup Series competitors around Infineon Raceway during the parade lap following driver introductions. As driver of the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet, Mears will be escorted by National Guard member Karl Kaylor of Santa Rosa, Calif. Kaylor is a recipient of the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Badge for his efforts in Middle East.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: This week, Mears and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson will stop by the Bondurant School in Phoenix to log a little extra practice time in preparation for the weekend's NEXTEL Cup race in Sonoma. The school features a challenging 15-turn, 1.6-mile road course with a variety of corners and elevation changes.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS: (ON GAINING 16 SPOTS IN THE CUP SERIES POINT STANDINGS SINCE WINNING AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY ON MAY 27.) "Winning definitely boosted our confidence and took a little weight off our shoulders, but the team itself has created the momentum. We've really been hitting our stride over the past month, and I feel like things are gelling on a lot of different levels. Darian (Grubb, crew chief) and I have communicated well since the beginning, but we've taken that level of communication up a couple of notches just by having more time together. It's the same thing with the team."

MEARS: (ON THE NO. 25 TEAM'S GROWTH.) "We've had fast race cars and strong motors all season, but I feel like our setups are in the ballpark as soon as we unload the car now. I think that difference is definitely linked to Darian and I getting to know each other's tendencies a little bit better and understanding what the other person needs. As bad as you want to have that kind of relationship from the first race, it takes time to build. Plus, over the past five or six races, I've felt like the group has really come together. It's exciting, especially because we seem to have shaken off some of the bad luck we had earlier this year."

MEARS: (ON THE NO. 25 TEAM'S CHANCES OF MAKING THE CHASE THIS YEAR.) "We dug ourselves a pretty big hole at the beginning of the year, and I thought getting into the top 15 would be a great comeback for our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team. But Darian (Grubb, crew chief) has higher goals -- he did even before we won at Charlotte. We've got three top-fives in the last four races and if we can stay on that path, I think we'll have a shot -- even if it's a long one. Our goal is to just keep reeling off some top-fives and top-10s all the way up until the Chase and then hopefully be within striking distance with a couple to go. Right now, it's all about being consistent."

MEARS: (ON TAKING THE IMPALA SS TO A ROAD COURSE.) "It's going to be interesting to see how the new car adapts. I know that Max Papis has been doing a great job with some road-course testing for us, and I think we're pretty happy with how the Impala SS is developing overall. Our R&D teams put a lot of effort into getting ready for the road courses. For me, it's kind of exciting to go somewhere like Sonoma that's completely different from the norm."

MEARS: (ON VISITING THE BONDURANT SCHOOL THIS WEEK.) "I went to Bondurant when I was about 12 or 13 years old and then from there went to the Jim Russell Racing School for a lot of years. When I went to those places at a young age it was a huge learning experience, but now it's just a great way to review the basics and get in a little extra road course practice."

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DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS: (ON TAKING THE IMPALA SS TO SONOMA FOR THE FIRST TIME.) "It'll be a new challenge heading out west this time with the Impala SS. With the heavier cars and less aerodynamics, as well as some possible cooling issues and smaller fuel cells, I think everyone's race strategy will have to be altered somewhat. However, our tests have gone really well with the new car, and we think it will perform similar to the Monte Carlos of the past. We're looking forward to going road-course racing for the first time this year and hopefully getting another strong finish with our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet."