PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS)
VENUE: TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY (2.66 MILE TRI-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES (RACE 30 OF 36)
EVENT: SUNDAY, OCT. 7, 2007 (188 LAPS, 500 MILES)

RETURNING VICTORS: The No. 25 National Guard/GMAC team returns to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway this weekend to defend its October 2006 victory. The No. 25 Chevrolet led 17 of the 188 laps to earn its first victory since May 2003 when Joe Nemechek took the checkers at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Casey Mears added to the team's win list with his first career victory in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

MEARS AT TALLADEGA: Mears will make his 10th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Talladega this Sunday. He has posted two eighth-place efforts in nine previous races, with both top-10 finishes coming in the 2004 Cup season. Earlier this year, Mears finished third in the NASCAR Busch Series race at Talladega after leading 52 laps.

RESTRICTOR PLATE TOP 10s: In 19 total restrictor plate starts, Mears has posted four top-10 finishes. His two eighth-place efforts at Talladega were followed by top-10 finishes in each of the 2006 events at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Mears has led nine restrictor plate races for a total of 35 laps.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS: Hendrick Motorsports drivers have collectively started 142 races at Talladega Superspeedway. Team owner Rick Hendrick has nine wins, five of which have occurred in the past four years. Together, Hendrick drivers have scored 38 top-five finishes, 52 top-10s and led a total of 1,786 laps around the 2.66-mile track.

MEARS VS. THE MEDIA: Mears will take on select members of Atlanta-area media in a go-kart race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Oct. 9. The event will help AMS promote its upcoming Oct. 26-28 race weekend.

HAIL THE VICTORS: On Oct. 10 at Hendrick Motorsports, Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC team will be awarded their winner's rings from the May race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears victory in the Memorial Day weekend race was the first of his NEXTEL Cup career.

GRUBB'S CHOICE: National Guard/GMAC crew chief Darian Grubb has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 459 for the first Impala SS restrictor plate race this weekend at Talladega. Chassis 459 was tested at the superspeedway in September.

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AUTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE: Casey Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at 9:10 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 IMPALA SS: (ON HOW THE NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS HANDLED IN THE TALLADEGA TEST SESSION.) "I thought the Impala SS drove pretty well. It was definitely a lot different in the way that they suck up and the stages of the draft that you go through. The side drafting is a little different. Not having a spoiler, and having a little bit more spring in the rear of the car definitely changes the feel when guys are side drafting with you. It's a lot different, but at the same time I think it's fun. It's just a different way of drafting. They are similar techniques that we've used all along, but it just has a little different timing when you're catching somebody."

MEARS: (ON DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE DRAFT WITH THE IMPALA SS.) "It seems like when you're 20 cars back, it's harder to catch the pack. Then once you get within 15 or 12 car lengths it really starts sucking up pretty well. Then when you get within about a car length, it really stops again. With the old car, it wasn't these peaks and valleys. It sucked up pretty good from on back and it got better as you got toward them. Then when you got there, there was a little bit of a wall, but not much. Now it just seems really hard to get going unless they get two-wide. Once you start catching that draft, it ramps up and then once you get to them it really slows down again. I don't know the way that the air is coming off these cars versus our old cars, it's just different. It's not something bad, it's just different and something we have to get used to."

MEARS: (ON BEING OUTSIDE OF THE CHASE, LOOKING IN.) "We're going to continue to keep pushing and trying to make the team better. All of the guys on the team are really pushing hard to get to that 13th spot. So we've got a race within our own race right now. We've got a lot of guys that we're racing around that we're very close with in points. Everybody really has some lofty goals to try to make that 13th spot. We're really pushing hard. We're pushing like we would any other time. None of us decided to go racing because we wanted to hang out and just finish out the season. So we're all going to finish off strong."

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DARIAN GRUBB, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 25 NATIONAL GUARD/GMAC IMPALA SS: (ON WHAT HE LEARNED IN LAST MONTH'S TEST AT TALLADEGA.) "There is not a lot you can do with the new COT at Talladega to try and get an advantage anymore. We are going to have to pay really close attention to all the small details that are going to be the difference when it comes to competition there. The closing rates in the draft were much larger than we had seen there and that will mean a lot of bump drafting and hoping that your car survives the punishment to finish the race up front. The pack will be extremely tight, but if we have green-flag pit stops, the field will get spread out and it seems really hard to catch the draft if you fall out. We've been working hard on the National Guard/GMAC Impala SS to get prepared for Talladega and we're really looking forward to showing off the effort and talent that everyone at HMS has put into this COT program."