- CARQUEST/KELLOGG’S TEAM FINISHES 
30th AT MICHIGAN-

MEARS RUNS TWICE IN THE TOP 15; RANKS 27th IN DRIVER STANDINGS

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 15, 2008) – On a track where passing can be tough, Casey Mears twice ran inside the top 15 and eventually drove his No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet to a 30th-place finish in Sunday’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Rain clouds loomed overhead for much of the weekend at Michigan, but only struck during the qualifying session on Friday afternoon. Mears knew that qualifying would be important and was prepared to go out 15th in the field. But the rain clouds broke open just before he was able to make his run. NASCAR officials eventually decided to cancel qualifying, and the starting line-up was determined by current owner standings. Mears started in the 25th position.

Both Mears and his teammates previously had recorded good finishes at the two-mile D-shaped oval. Mears’ success dates back to 2003, when he earned his first career stock-car victory at the track in ARCA competition. He also went into Sunday’s event with one top-five finish, two top-10s and four top-15s in his previous five starts. The No. 5 team, meanwhile, had recorded two top-10 finishes in six starts under crew chief Alan Gustafson.

Knowing that passing would be at a premium on Sunday, the team focused a phase of its strategy on pit stops. The No. 5 Chevrolet gained several positions during its 10 pit stops throughout Sunday’s event.

The first caution flag was issued early in the race, and Mears took advantage. He took four tires and fuel, and his team made the necessary adjustments to alleviate his tight-handling No. 5 Chevrolet.

The adjustments helped, although Mears dropped to 34th position on the restart. His patience paid off, however, and by the time the second caution was issued on Lap 40, Mears was running in the 31st position.

Mears’ pit crew worked fast through the second pit stop, during which Gustafson called for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Mears’ spotter Eddie Masencup encouraged Mears to keep digging, and that’s what he did. By Lap 68, Mears took over the 29th position, and he noted that the car was tight in the center of turn, but free on entry and exit.

The team kept adjusting the CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet, but with difficult passing conditions, Mears hovered around 30th position. He ran as high as 27th -- after a restart on Lap 94 -- and noted improvements to his car throughout the race.

“Let’s keep rolling boys,” Mike Senyitko, front suspension mechanic for the No. 5, told the crew after a stop on Lap 103. “We’re still in this thing.”

Mears improved one position after that restart, taking over the 27th spot. Although the adjustments were working -- Mears radioed to his team on Lap 147 that the Chevy’s drive off had improved -- the team struggled to run any higher than 27th place. But the team kept making adjustments in an attempt to improve track position.

“We never gave up,” Mears said following the race. “That’s the best thing about this team. We all worked hard to keep the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet competitive, and we had several solids tops that helped us pick up some positions during the race.”

Following today’s race, the No. 5 team is 27th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings entering the 16th race of the season, which will be held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. The event will air live Sunday on TNT (3:30 p.m. ET) and MRN Radio (5 p.m. ET).