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Mears Ends Season with 19th-Place Finish at Homestead

Race/Date: Ford 400 – November 22, 2009- Venue: Homestead-Miami Speedway – Homestead, Fla. -  Starting Position: 15th - Finishing Position: 19th - Owners’ Point Position: 21st (lost one position)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway also marked the final race of Jack Daniel’s involvement with Richard Childress Racing. Casey Mears was hoping to end the five-year relationship on a high note, but changing track conditions hindered his performance and resulted in a less-than-desired 19th-place finish.

The No. 07 team finished off the 2009 season 21st in the championship point standings with four top-10 and 19 top-20 finishes.

On Friday, the Doug Randolph-led team registered the 19th-fastest time in the opening practice session before qualifying 15th later that afternoon. During Saturday’s dual practice sessions, the team improved to post the eighth-fastest time in the latter session.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted the 70,000 race fans on hand to see 267 laps of racing, but as the sun faded, the track began to change significantly. Mears gained three spots in the opening 15 laps, but faded to 19th by lap 116.

During that time, Mears made four separate visits to pit road, receiving four tires and fuel each time. Additionally, Randolph ordered for a host of chassis and air pressure adjustments on each stop to get the No. 07 Chevrolet handling better.

The Jack Daniel’s team elected to stay out following a lap 117-caution and restarted 11th as other competitors pitted. The adjustments made earlier began to help Mears as he cracked the top 10 at the race’s midway point.

The Bakersfield, Calif., native was a mainstay in the top 10 for the next 20 laps before making a pit stop, while under caution on lap 157. As racing resumed and day turned to night, the 1.5 mile track temperatures began to cool even more.

The 31 year-old driver continued to be affected by the ever-changing track conditions, dropping to 21st before the final yellow flag was displayed on lap 218. Racing resumed on lap 222 and, over the final 45 laps, Mears was able to pick off two spots to take the checkered flag in 19th place.

Denny Hamlin earned the victory, beating Mears’ teammate Jeff Burton to the line by 2.632 seconds. RCR’s Kevin Harvick finished third, Kurt Busch fourth and Jimmie Johnson, who won his fourth-consecutive Cup Series title, rounded out the top-five finishers.

Mears’ fourth RCR teammate, Clint Bowyer, came home 11th.

Casey Mears Quote:

“This was definitely not the way we wanted to close out the season, but I’m proud of all the guys that have been apart of No. 07 program this year. There have been a lot of changes, but these guys never quit. They put a lot of hard work in this season and I have to thank all of them for their efforts. And a big thank you to Jack Daniel’s for all their support, not only this season, but over the last five years.”

Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet to carry “Thank You” Hood for Finale in Homestead

WELCOME, N.C. – Leave it to Jack Daniel’s to come up with a personal touch for their finale as primary sponsor for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 07 Chevrolet Impala SS this weekend in Homestead-Miami Speedway. Just like Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel personally made sure his recipe for Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 was always carried out by human touch.

After five seasons with RCR, Jack Daniel’s and the people of parent company Brown-Forman wanted to show their appreciation in a very personal way for this weekend’s race in South Florida. So, they placed the names of everyone who worked on the program since partnering with RCR in 2005 right on the hood of the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet.

Drivers, crew chiefs, crew members and administration personnel are all being honored with approximately 140 names placed all around the words “Jack” and “Thanks” on the hood.

“The last five years in the sport has been fun and exciting, to say the least,” said Dave Stang, Assistant Vice President of Brand Awareness for Jack Daniel’s. “It took a ton of people, and all those fantastic fans, to help Jack get its responsible drinking message communicated throughout the USA and beyond. We recognize them all with this little token of appreciation, Jack would be proud.”

During their time with RCR in NASCAR, three drivers drove the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet. Dave Blaney in 2005, Clint Bowyer 2006 to 2008 and Casey Mears in 2009, who collectively earned two victories, two pole awards, 21 top-five and 61 top-10 finishes.

Casey Mears Event Preview Homestead 

No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS - Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Ford 400 – November 22, 2009 - Venue: Homestead – Miami Speedway; Homestead, Fla.

* This Week’s Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet for Homestead – Miami Speedway … Mr. Jack’s Crew will unload chassis No. 282 from the Richard Childress Racing stable, which made its debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. After finishing 19th there, this Chevrolet Impala SS was run at Michigan International Speedway in August with a finish of sixth, Dover International Speedway in September finishing 17th and Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October finishing seventh. 

* Mears in Miami … Through his six previous starts at HMS, the 31-years old native of Bakersfield, Calif., has one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His best start and finish was sixth and fifth, respectively, on the 1.5-mile oval in 2005. Mears average start is 26.5 with an average finish of 19th place. He’s led two races for a total of 76 laps and completed 1,594 of 1,607 (99.2 percent) circuits contested. Through those six starts, Mears has qualified in the top 15 three times. 

* Still no DNFs … Through the first 35 races of 2009, Mears is one of only three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have been running at the finish of every race.

* This Hood is for YOU … After five years of partnership, Jack Daniel’s announced in September they would be discontinuing their NASCAR sponsorship with the conclusion of this weekend’s race. In honor of their association with RCR, Jack Daniel’s has placed the name of every driver, crew member and administrative person who was part of their program at RCR on the hood of this weekend’s No. 07 Chevrolet. 

* Come See Casey … With that in mind, this will be the last time fans can purchase Jack Daniel’s souvenirs from the No. 07 merchandise trailer. And, Mears will be making his final autograph appearance there on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Located in the track’s midway, tickets for autographs are issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

* Get Experienced … Also on Sunday, Nov. 22, Mears will make his “last call” at the Jack Daniel’s Experience, which is near the track’s midway area along the frontstretch, appearing there at Noon prior to heading over to the souvenir trailer. Hours for the JDX are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22. 

* One Trophy Missing from the Shelf … Homestead has been a bit of an Achilles Heel for RCR as one of the few race tracks where team owner Richard Childress hasn’t earned a Sprint Cup Series victory. As a company, RCR’s best finishes at HMS came in 2003 and 2008 when Harvick finished second. In 29 starts, RCR has four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the mile-and-a-half, progressively-banked oval with drivers Dave Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Green, Harvick and Mike Skinner. Auto Club Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway are the only other tracks on the current Cup Series schedule where RCR has yet to visit Victory Lane. 

* The Collective RCR … In 35 races this season, RCR’s four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries have notched 12 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes. The No. 29 team kicked off the 2009 season with a win in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. RCR-prepared cars have also completed 40,031 laps with its four drivers -- Burton, Bowyer, Harvick and Mears. RCR teams have led 244 laps and all four teams have earned just over $20.1 million combined purse money in 2009. 

* Call Before You Dig … Safety and protecting the community and environment is a top priority at RCR and Shell. This weekend, all four teams will be supporting Shell and the Common Ground Alliance to remind fans about the importance of calling 811 before doing any digging and the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil car will run with a new deck lid logo: “811 Know what’s below. Call before you dig. A quick and easy call to 811 is key in avoiding damage to underground utilities, which can help avoid environmental incidents, injuries and disruption of services. Visit www.call811.com for additional information. 

* Tune in for the Win … Flag-to-flag coverage of the Sprint Cup Series 400-mile race from Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live Sunday, Nov. 21 beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST on ABC and will be broadcast worldwide on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the final points-paying race on the 2009 calendar will take the green flag at 3 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 20 and will be telecast live on ESPN2. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will broadcast qualifying updates live.

CASEY MEARS QUOTES:

• In looking at your stats from the past six races, there’s a top-five and two top-10 finishes for you. This track seems like it’s been pretty good for you?

“Yeah, Homestead has been a pretty good track for me. The year Tony Stewart won the championship (2005), we had a huge lead in that race with about five to go. We were getting ready to lap Tony and the caution came out for debris. So, we’ve had some pretty good races there and it’s been a pretty good track for me. I look forward to going back there because it’s the end of the year and where we’re at in points, I just don’t think we have a whole lot to lose. So, we’re going to go out there and try to win this race. Not that we don’t try to do that every race, but with it being the last one, you just tend to let it all hang out there a little bit more.”

• How has this season gone by for you? For some, it’s been a long drag, but it’s gone by quickly for others.

“I would say the beginning and middle of the year felt like about three years. But, the last six or seven races have gone by like they were all just last weekend. When things are going good, everyone is positive, everything is good and everything just goes by so fast. But, when it’s not going that way, it just seems everything goes in such slow motion making the season drag on-and-on.

“It’s been cool to see RCR turn a corner this year and get back to where we needed to be, and are capable of being every week. Unfortunately, it’s now a season I don’t want to see end.”

• With this being the championship weekend, there are three guys who could leave Homestead with the crown. Do you race those guys any differently, or is it business as usual?

“You know, I can’t say I’ve given one guy any slack this year, to be honest. I’ve never given the Chase guys more room or been more lenient with them. We’re out there to win races, but I do understand what they’re trying to do this weekend. For the last race of the season, I think it might be a little different with so much on the line. A mistake by someone else could really dictate who is going to win the championship. I don’t think you want to go down in history as the guy who screwed it up for someone else and cost them a championship.“

• What are your plans for the off-season? Do you have anything on the calendar, or are you just going to wing it?

“I have a lot of things going on this off-season. First, Jimmie Johnson and his wife are planning a five-year anniversary trip to where they got married. So, Trish (fiancée) and I are going to attend that deal. That’s taking place right after the banquet.

“We’re also going to go out to the sand dunes in California and have a little fun during Thanksgiving. We’re going to have Christmas at home here in Charlotte with my daughter. This will be her second one and I’m sure she’s going to want to rip open some presents.

“Then, Trish and I are getting married in January out of the country. So, that makes for a pretty full plate in the off-season.“