- KELLOGG’S/CARQUEST TEAM FINISHES 17TH IN DOVER -

CASEY MEARS ADVANCES TWO POSITIONS IN POINT STANDINGS

DOVER, Del. (June 1, 2008) – Casey Mears and the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team turned a 39th-place starting position into a 17th-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The top-20 finish moved Mears and the team to 25th in the driver standings.

“We battled an extremely loose Chevrolet all throughout practice this weekend,” Mears said following the race. “By Saturday afternoon I think we figured a lot of things out. It seems to me that we’re understanding the Impala SS more and more.

“In the middle of the race we really had the handling of the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevy figured out. We were able to gain some positions. The green-flag pit stops just killed us today, unfortunately. But it was a team effort, and I’m really proud of these guys for turning the car around this weekend.”

While Mears fell two positions to 41st on the initial start of the 400-lap race, he quickly started moving forward. In the first 16 laps of the race, he had gained seven positions to take over 32nd place.

On Lap 17, the caution flag waved for a multi-car accident on the backstretch. Mears hit the brakes and was able to stop the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevy just short of the accident. After a 30-minute red-flag period, he entered pit road where the Chevy received four tires, fuel and a slight track bar adjustment to stabilize the car’s handling. When the race resumed, Mears was in 24th place.

The adjustments made during the pit stop greatly helped the front of the car. But the Chevrolet still lacked rear grip, so crew chief Alan Gustafson called for an additional track bar adjustment and air pressure adjustment during the team’s pit stop on Lap 68. The over-the-wall crew was flawless, gaining three positions on pit road. Mears restarted 21st.

Within two laps, Mears radioed to his crew that the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevy was a “good bit better.” The adjustments had helped tighten the handling, and Mears continued to move forward, taking over 18th place on Lap 88.

A long green-flag run caused the teams to make their first green-flag pit stops of the race. The No. 5 team pitted on Lap 148 for tires, fuel and a very small air pressure adjustment. An untimely caution, however, immediately following its pit stop, placed the team one lap down to the leaders.

In heavy traffic, the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevy’s handling again turned to the loose side. Mears tried to regain his lost lap, but another long green-flag run ruined the chances of anyone getting the “lucky dog.”

The team, running 18th, was forced to make another green flag pit stop at Lap 232. Meanwhile, the leaders continued to gain ground and put the No. 5 Chevrolet a second lap down.

At the end of the race, only six cars finished on the lead lap, with more than a four-second lead on second place. The Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team advanced one more position in the final 30 laps to finish 17th, three laps down.

The Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team next will compete at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on Sunday, June 8. The race will air live on TNT at 12:30 p.m., ET.