PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS)
VENUE: PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE EIGHT OF 36)
EVENT: SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2007 (312 LAPS, 312 MILES)

PHOENIX RISING: Casey Mears notched a career-best NEXTEL Cup Series finish at Phoenix International Raceway last April, but that 20th-place showing didn't satisfy the California native in his quest for success at the one-mile oval. This weekend, Mears will look to heat up his relationship with the desert track when he gets behind the wheel of his No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Impala SS in the season's third race featuring the Car of Tomorrow.

LOVE FOR THE COT: In late March, Mears recorded his first top-10 NEXTEL Cup result with Hendrick Motorsports when he piloted his No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet Impala SS to a 10th-place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in the first-ever Car of Tomorrow race.

MEET CHASSIS 421: Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 421 for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway. The car saw action during testing at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway earlier this month, but it has not yet raced in competition.

GONE TO GLAMIS: After last Sunday's NEXTEL Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, Mears, driver of the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Impala SS, headed west to spend a few days at the legendary Glamis Sand Dunes in Southern California. While there, Mears put some rough-terrain miles under his new custom-built Super Dual Sport dune buggy, which features a GPS, stereo system and two-way radio.

A MEARS GANG FOOTNOTE: On Feb. 5, 1995, Roger Mears, father of Casey Mears, made his NASCAR debut when he entered the Craftsman Truck Series event at Phoenix International Raceway. The off-road racing star qualified sixth and finished 21st in a truck that ran with a number borrowed from team owner Rick Hendrick. Perhaps a sign of things to come for Roger Mears' then 16-year-old son, that number was 25.

* * * * * * * * * *

CRAZY FOR CASEY: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 2:15 p.m. local time on Saturday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Phoenix International Raceway.

CHEVY DAY AT PIR: Mears will sign autographs at noon local time on Saturday for consumers who have completed a test drive in a Chevrolet vehicle as part of Chevy Day at Phoenix International Raceway festivities.

* * * * * * * * * *

CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS: (ON WHY THIS WEEKEND'S NEXTEL CUP EVENT AT PHOENIX WILL BE THE FIRST "REAL" CAR OF TOMORROW RACE.) "Bristol and Martinsville are so short that, mechanically, the Impala SS wasn't too terribly different from our other cars and where we used to be. But when we get to a place like Phoenix where we actually start seeing some speed, that's when the downforce of these cars is going to start coming into effect. The downforce on the Impala SS is a lot different than on the Monte Carlo. And because Phoenix is a combination of mechanics and aerodynamics, we'll get a chance to see how these cars work in traffic."

MEARS: (ON SPENDING SOME TIME THIS WEEK AT THE GLAMIS SAND DUNES WITH HIS CUSTOM-BUILT DUNE BUGGY.) "You know, it's just a way for me to play and relax away from the track. I love the West Coast, and I always try to take advantage of any opportunity I have to spend a few days out there, especially when I can get to the dunes and tear around a little bit."

* * * * * * * * * *

DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS: (ON RACING AT PHOENIX WITH THE IMPALA SS.) "Phoenix is a unique animal with its two different radius turns and the way the car has to react differently on each end to get the fastest possible lap. We're happy with the progress that Hendrick Motorsports has made in the past few races at Phoenix, and we're definitely looking forward to applying what we've learned about the Impala SS with Casey and our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC team. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, and the racing should be great."