- CASEY MEARS FINISHES 29th AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY -

CARQUEST/KELLOGG’S TEAM EFFORT 
TURNS HANDLING OF CAR AROUND

CONCORD, N.C. (May 25, 2008) – Casey Mears and the CARQUEST/Kellogg’s team continued to make adjustments to a loose-handling No. 5 Chevrolet throughout Sunday night’s 600-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The team succeeded in improving the performance of the CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet, and Mears crossed the finish line in 29th place.

“All weekend, throughout practice sessions and qualifying, our CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevy has been incredibly loose,” Mears said. “We tried just about every adjustment and finally hit on something when the sun went down. The cool track helped tighten us up, too. It was just unfortunate that we were already locked a few laps down. The team worked really hard all night, and I think we learned a lot for the next race here.”

Mears and his team qualified 21st during Thursday evening’s qualifying session. On Saturday, the team fought a loose-handling car throughout practice, but found a unique set-up in the final moments that tightened the handling of the car.

When the race began Sunday afternoon, the handling of the CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet again was extremely loose. The team anxiously awaited a caution to make needed adjustments, but when one didn’t occur, the team made a green-flag stop on Lap 52. The No. 5 Chevy took tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to tighten the handling.

The handling of the car remained loose throughout the next nine laps before the first caution of the night occurred. On Lap 61, crew chief Alan Gustafson made the call for Mears to remain on track to lead a lap and earn five valuable points. The team then made a pit stop for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Mears rejoined the field in 30th place.

The race went caution-free for nearly 100 laps, which allowed the leaders to lap up to 22nd place, including the CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet. Midway through the long green-flag run, the No. 5 Chevy once again entered pit road for adjustments. This time, the team inserted a left rear spring rubber to help stabilize the persistent loose-handling condition.

As the run continued, the Chevrolet’s handling only grew looser. During the next stop, Gustafson made the call to reverse all previous adjustments. The left rear spring rubber was pulled back out, and a large wedge adjustment was made before Mears rejoined the field in 34th place.

Just shy of the halfway point in NASCAR’s longest race, Mears reported that the Chevrolet was much better on entry and on exit of turns. In fact, it was not just a tick tight in the center. The improvements helped Mears advance three positions to 31st before the team’s fifth pit stop.

The handling of the Chevrolet continued to grow more secure throughout the second half of the race. Although the Chevrolet improved, the team was two laps down and unable to get back onto the lead lap.

When the checkered flag waved on Lap 400, Mears crossed the line in 29th place. Mears now ranks 28th in the driver standings.

The Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team next will compete at Dover (Del.) International Speedway next Sunday, May 30. The race will air live on FOX at 1:30 p.m., ET.