- KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST TEAM FINISHES  -
- 13TH IN ALL-STAR RACE -

CONCORD, N.C. (May 17, 2008) – Casey Mears drove the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet to a 13th-place finish in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

“We learned a lot for next week,” Mears said, referring to next week’s 600-mile race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “The car went from really loose to really tight, but that gave the team the opportunity to try some different adjustments out on the car and really see what worked. We may not have won the race, but we learned something in the process.”

Mears and his team qualified 17th during Friday night’s unique qualifying session. Mears completed two laps, and then his team completed a four-tire pit stop, which took 124.969 seconds. The team, however, received a five-second penalty for jumping off of pit road too soon prior to the pit stop, changing the qualifying time to 129.969 seconds.

During the Sprint Showdown, which was held before the all-star event, the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team paid close attention to tire wear and pit road decisions by other teams. When the checkered flag dropped, winner A.J. Allmendinger and second-place finisher Sam Hornish Jr. transferred to the All-Star Race. During driver introductions, it was announced that Kasey Kahne had been “voted in” by NASCAR fans.

Throughout the first 25-lap segment of the All-Star Race, Mears reported that the No. 5 Chevy was loose when entering and exiting turns. The handling issue was the same the team had encountered during practice, so the crew members knew what adjustments were needed.

Following a four-tire and fuel pit stop with track bar and wedge adjustments, Mears rejoined the field in 18th place for the start of the second 25-lap segment. He gained two positions during the first 10 laps of the segment before reporting that the loose issue had improved, but that the Chevrolet was now tight in the center of each turn.

A 10-minute mandatory break in the action following the second 25-lap segment allowed the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team to make major adjustments to the Chevrolet. The team focused on the tight-handling issue.

At the start of the third 25-lap segment, Mears was in 16th place. After advancing two positions, he reported that the Chevy was better at both ends of the speedway. By the end of the segment, the tight-handling condition had returned.

The break between the third and fourth segment consisted of a mandatory pit stop, but the teams were not required to make adjustments. While the No. 5 team opted for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, several teams made no adjustments or chose right-side tires only. Mears began the final segment in 20th place.

In the final 25 laps, the adjustments the team made throughout the night proved beneficial. The Chevy’s handling improved, and Mears advanced seven positions to finish 13th.

The team will use the information it gained throughout the 100 laps to prepare for next weekend’s 600-mile race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The race will air live on FOX this Sunday at 5 p.m., ET.