PREVIEW: CASEY MEARS (NO. 5 KELLOGG'S/CARQUEST CHEVROLET)
VENUE: LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE QUAD-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NON-POINTS RACE)
EVENT: MAY 17, 2008 (100 LAPS, 150 MILES)

MEARS AS AN ALL-STAR: Casey Mears will make his second appearance in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears made his debut in the all-star event in 2007, when he finished 18th.

ACCESS POINT: Mears qualified for the 2008 all-star event by winning the 600-mile points-paying race last May at Lowe's Motor Speedway. In 2007, Mears, then in his first year with Hendrick Motorsports, garnered a spot in the competition because his team won the October 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

NO. 5 TEAM AS ALL-STARS: Crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST team have qualified for two all-star races, in 2006 and 2007. Gustafson's career-best finish in the race is 16th in 2006.

ALL-STAR TEAMMATES: Mears and all three of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates -- Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- will compete in the 2008 all-star race. Gordon has won the event three times -- 1995, 1997 and 2001; while Johnson won it in 2003 and 2006. Earnhardt, a Hendrick Motorsports newcomer, won in 2000.

ALL-STAR TRIUMPH: Terry Labonte drove the No. 5 Chevrolet to Victory Lane in the 1999 all-star event for Hendrick Motorsports. Labonte's team opted for four tires on the final pit stop rather than taking just right-side tires, like the majority of the field. In the final 10 laps, he overcame the competition and defeated rookie Tony Stewart by 1.229 seconds. Labonte's prize was $207,500, which pales in comparison to this year's winner, who will pocket nearly five times that amount.

PIT CREW CHALLENGE: The Kellogg's/CARQUEST pit crew will participate in Thursday's NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. The Kellogg's/CARQUEST crew finished fourth in last year's pit crew challenge. The crew includes: coach Mark Mauldin (Spencer, N.C.); jackman Jason Hunt (Greensboro, N.C.); front-tire changer Kip Wolfmeier (Kingdom City, Mo.); front-tire carrier J.D. Holcomb (Whitesburg, Ky.); rear-tire changer Josh Kirk (Chambersburg, Pa.); rear-tire carrier Jason Jones (Rhine, Ga.); catch can Scott Radel (Massillon, Ohio) and gasman Brad Pickens (Greer, S.C.).

ON TRACKSIDE: Mears will be a guest on SPEED Channel's "Trackside" on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Mears will join the panel for the first time this season to discuss his 2007 victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

ROAD COURSE TEST: The Kellogg's/CARQUEST team will test this week at Virginia International Raceway to prepare for next month's Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway. Mears has posted one top-five finish and two top-10s in 10 total road course races. Both top-10 finishes occurred in 2004.

ALL-STAR CHASSIS: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 418 for this weekend's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears drove this car in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and in April at Texas Motor Speedway.

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SHOWING SUPPORT: Casey Mears will support NASCAR Day and the Hendrick Marrow Program by participating in the NASCAR Telethon at the Sam Bass Gallery in Concord, N.C., on Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. local time.

AUTOGRAPHS: Mears will greet fans and sign autographs at the Kellogg's/CARQUEST souvenir trailer at 3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday.

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CASEY MEARS, DRIVER, NO. 5 KELLOGG'S/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON THE EXCITEMENT OF THE ALL-STAR RACE.): "My mindset going into this race is totally different than any other. There's no points on the line here. And the hype is just incredible. The only reason we're there is to win. That's it. There's nothing I'm thinking about but winning that night."

MEARS (ON QUALIFYING FOR THE ALL-STAR RACE.): "I didn't think about that at all. Actually, it didn't hit me until a reporter mentioned it in the press room later that night (after his 2007 victory at Lowe's). They said something like, 'You just qualified for the all-star race, too.' And my first thought was, 'Cool. It's like a bonus!'"

MEARS (ON THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALIFYING FOR THIS RACE.): "It's really important because it means that you at least won one race in the past year. Throughout the season, you don't just try to win a race so you can qualify for the all-star race, but it's definitely a nice perk."

MEARS (ON HOW HE FEELS ABOUT HIS PIT CREW'S CHANCES IN THURSDAY'S COMPETITION.): "They're going to win this thing. They've been absolutely awesome all year. I'm going to drive the car, not that there's any real driving involved. But I want to support the guys. They support me every week, and I want to be there when it's all about them. I hope they're holding the trophy at the end of the night."

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 KELLOGG'S/CARQUEST CHEVROLET (ON HOW HIS STRATEGY IN THE ALL-STAR RACE COMPARES TO RUNNING A POINTS-PAYING EVENT.): "It's completely different. As Al Davis, legendary coach of the Oakland Raiders, said, 'Just win, baby. Just win.'"

GUSTAFSON (ON HIS PIT CREW'S CHANCES IN THURSDAY'S COMPETITION.): "They'll be really good. Unfortunately, that contest completely comes down to the push at the end. We don't really practice pushing cars much in our pit crew practice each week. We focus more on the week-to-week pit stops. They'll be great at the pit crew skills, but as far as that push goes, I just don't know. Guess we'll all find out."

GUSTAFSON (ON IF HE FEELS PRESSURE FOR HIS TEAM TO MAKE THE ALL-STAR EVENT.): "There's not really pressure to make this race, but there is pressure to win at least one (points-paying) race. So, I guess they go hand in hand. We want to win multiple races, and I guess this race factors into that somewhat. Winning is what we're here to do, and this race is just an extra for all that hard work."

GUSTAFSON (ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING GOING INTO THE SUMMER STRETCH.): "Testing is really important. Anytime you're testing it helps the team focus more on the race car. It helps with our thought process and learning new things. Any additional time in the car helps Casey, too. He learns new things about this new car and what he needs from it every time he's in it. It's all positive really. The only negative I see is that it really straps the whole team -- the guys in the shop and the guys on the road. They're stretched a little thinner when we're testing so much. So everyone really has to stay focused. I know these guys are good enough to handle it though."

MARK MAULDIN, PIT CREW COACH FOR THE NOS. 5 AND 88 TEAMS (ON THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE.): "I think the pit crew challenge is a fun occasion for the teams. Just the nature of our sport makes it a competitive event. Everyone wants to win. Some of the guys say they don't take it too seriously, but when the lights come on, they definitely give it all they have."

MAULDIN (ON HIS SEASON-LONG COACHING PHILOSOPHY.): "I try not to overdo anything. When the guys reach this level of competition, the hardest part of keeping performance high is to make every single rep count and only work on aspects that need work. Doing practice pit stops with no objective in mind is senseless."

MAULDIN (ON HOW IMPORTANT THE PIT CREW CHALLENGE IS.): "It is important but in a different kind of way. We certainly pride ourselves at Hendrick Motorsports on being winners. We work very hard preparing for all events, whether it is the pit crew challenge or the next event on our calendar. We just enjoy the opportunity to compete."