PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS)
VENUE: PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 35 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, NOV. 11, 2007 (312 LAPS, 312 MILES)

MEARS AT PHOENIX: Casey Mears will make his eighth career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday. The one-mile raceway has proven to be a tough track for Mears, who posted a career-best finish of 20th there in April 2006.

PIR DEBUT: Mears made his Phoenix International Raceway debut in March 2001, driving an Indy car for Galles Racing. Mears finished 20th, with electrical problems, in the 200-lap open-wheel race.

MOST IMPROVED: Mears' 31st-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday was his first finish of 30th or worse since Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. In the season's first half, the National Guard/GMAC team posted six finishes of 30th or worse. In the season's second half, the team has posted only two finishes lower than 30th.

MEARS' BEST SEASON: With two races remaining in the 2007 NEXTEL Cup season, Mears has posted career highs in victories (one), top-five finishes (five) and top-10 finishes (10).

ENJOYING THE DESERT: Mears flew straight from Texas to California following Sunday's NEXTEL Cup Series race to spend the week driving his off-road car at the Glamis sand dunes. Glamis is located in Southern California, near the border of Mexico.

GRUBB'S CHOICE: Crew chief Darian Grubb has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 462 for Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway. Mears most recently drove Chassis 462 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway last month, and finished 17th in it at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in September.

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AUTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 9:45 a.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Phoenix International Raceway.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC CHEVROLET: (ON WHY PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY IS A TOUGH TRACK FOR HIM.) "I don't know. Last time we ran there we had a car that was very fast. I think we were running inside the top 10 and there was a crash right in front of me that I got caught up in. We've had a hard time getting a car to work good around there. When it works good, we've had some great races. I think two or three years ago I was running third with five laps to go and I happened to have a left-rear (tire) go flat. I think that it's a combination of not running well, then also running well and having issues. Hopefully we can remedy that this time."

MEARS: (ON TAKING SOME TIME OFF THIS WEEK.) "I don't have very many opportunities to go out and run my sand car. When I get out to the West Coast I try to schedule a little bit of time where I can go out early. I get to go out to Glamis for a couple of days and have a little fun."

MEARS: (ON HIS SAND CAR.) "It's a four-seater off-road car. It's got 25 inches of travel all the way around and close to 800 horsepower. It's just a lot of fun. You get out there in the sand and it's kind of like running around in the snow. I like going out on weeks where it's not that busy. It's like getting fresh tracks. The wind is blowing and it smoothes everything out. It's just a great time to go out and play."

MEARS: (ON DRIVING AN OPEN-WHEEL CAR VERSUS A NEXTEL CUP STOCK CAR AT PIR.) "It's totally different. And it's totally different everywhere, not just at Phoenix, but everywhere. Just the way that the cars drive and the downforce levels. We were really close to wide open through turns three and four with the IRL car. With the Cup car, you're off the throttle and on the brake, trying to get slowed down. The main thing is the grip level and the speed. And then you know you really have to pace yourself with a Cup car, too. Even though you run hard, you can overdrive it easily, heat up your brakes and things like that. I think it's actually a little bit easier to drive an open-wheel car around there than it is to drive a stock car."