PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS)
VENUE: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66-MILE TRI-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE NINE OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2007 (188 LAPS, 500.08 MILES)

STARS FELL ON ALABAMA: This weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, the National Guard will recognize recently deployed soldiers who have returned home to Alabama. Twenty-five Guard members, many of whom completed tours of duty in Iraq, were chosen from different units around the state to attend Sunday's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event and meet Casey Mears, driver of the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet.

BACK IN THE BEGINNING: Mears' first career race in a stock car came in October 2001 when he entered an ARCA Series event at Talladega Superspeedway. The Bakersfield, Calif., native finished ninth, officially setting into motion his transition from open-wheel racing to NASCAR.

POISED FOR 'DEGA SUCCESS: In 2004, Mears finished eighth in both NEXTEL Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway, his best results to date at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. However, that record doesn't tell the whole story for Mears, who has led laps in the last three Cup Series races at Talladega and is poised for breakthrough success at NASCAR's biggest track.

CHASSIS 372 IS A WINNER: Crew chief Darian Grubb has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 372 for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup event at Talladega, which is the first impound race of 2007 for NASCAR's top series. The car led 17 laps at Talladega last October en route to victory with the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports team.

THE 25 AT TALLADEGA: On July 31, 1988, the No. 25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet made its first trip to Talladega Superspeedway's Victory Lane when Ken Schrader took the checkered flag after 188 laps. More than 18 years later, the No. 25 team earned its second 'Dega victory when Brian Vickers won the October 2006 Cup Series event at the storied Alabama track.

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MEARS, CASEY MEARS: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 8:45 a.m. local time on Sunday at the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC souvenir hauler outside Talladega Superspeedway.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS: (ON ADVANTAGES THAT COME WITH AN IMPOUND RACE.) "At an impound race, you have to focus more on the race setup and less on qualifying runs because you don't have the usual practice time. That forces everyone to concentrate on the car's handling right away and how it works in the draft as opposed to how fast it can run alone. At a place like Talladega, it helps to have that extra focus on race trim because driving in traffic is key."

MEARS: (ON A DISAPPOINTING 37TH-PLACE FINISH LAST WEEKEND AT PHOENIX.) "That race really hurt because we had such a great car -- a top-10, probably a top-five car. And we all knew it. We gained about five spots in first 10 laps, I think. But we got caught up in somebody else's mistake and had nowhere to go. I couldn't believe it -- our luck has been awful lately. I do want to say that everyone on the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC team did a great job working on our Impala SS and getting it back on the track, but the damage was done. Overall, it was just a very, very disappointing night."

MEARS: (ON MOVING FORWARD AT TALLADEGA.) "You know, every race weekend is a new race weekend. And even though last weekend was tough, our No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team is tough, too. We're looking forward to racing at Talladega. I feel a lot more comfortable in the draft than I did when I first started racing there, and I'm able to relax and focus on my job instead of constantly worrying about when a big wreck might happen."

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DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC MONTE CARLO SS: (ON REBOUNDING FROM LAST WEEKEND'S RACE AT PHOENIX.) "We've definitely had our fair share of bad luck so far this year with the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet. But the progress is evident -- our Phoenix car was a great example of how we are learning and implementing what Casey needs in a race car and how the Impala SS responds. We just need to keep moving forward and working hard to continue that progress. That's what we can control."