-KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST TEAM FIGHTS FOR 17TH-PLACE FINISH- TEAM MOVES TO 3OTH IN STANDINGS

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 9, 2008) – Casey Mears and the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team battled an ill-handling Chevrolet throughout the Atlanta race weekend. The team made improvements, however, throughout nine pit stops to move Mears to 17th by the end of the race.

“From where we started this weekend, I’m sure we’re all pretty content with 17th,” Mears said. “We need to start making these top-20 finishes into top 10s. That’s our goal. The team hung in there today and kept making the right decisions and getting the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet better. Top 10s, top-fives and some wins are just around the corner for us.”

The Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet was extremely loose throughout Friday’s practice session and again during the evening’s qualifying session. Due to the loose condition, Mears qualified 39th. On Saturday, the team made several changes to the Chevrolet and continued to improve the handling. By the end of the day, Mears was 17th on the final practice speed chart.

When the green-flag waved on Sunday, Mears immediately began moving forward, capturing the 30th position by Lap 20. Although the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet was difficult to turn, Mears continued to advance through the field.

The race continued caution-free for the race’s opening 37 laps. The long green-flag run allowed the leaders to lap much of the field, including 23rd-place Mears, who missed the lucky dog award by one position.

Much like last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team worked throughout the remaining laps to get the No. 5 Chevy back onto the lead lap. Unlike Las Vegas, however, several long green-flag runs made the task much more difficult.

Following the team’s third pit stop, Mears moved into 20th place and secured the coveted lucky dog position. But because another caution didn’t happen for 80 more laps, Mears couldn’t cash in on his spot as the leaders continued to lap the cars ahead of him.

As the handling of the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevy improved, Mears gained the most positions on the exit of Turn 2. Mears passed three cars there and moved into 17th place by Lap 220.

In the race’s final 100 laps, the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team encountered an issue with the front splitter of the Chevrolet as it was hitting the race track in several locations. During a long pit stop during a Lap 261 caution, the over-the-wall crew placed “packers” in the right front and left front shocks. The stop was a lengthy one and dropped Mears to 20th position on the restart.

The Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team continued to improve the handling of the No. 5 Chevy, and Mears advanced three positions to earn the 17th-place finish.

The Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team improved five spots in the standings to 30th.

The No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevy next will compete at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 16. The race will air live on FOX at 1:30 p.m., ET.