Mears, Jack Daniel’s Chevy, Escape Talladega 16th

Race/Date: Aaron’s 499 – April 26, 2009 - Location: Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, Ala.
Start Position: 15th - Finish Position: 16th - Points Position: 21st (Gained one position)

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Casey Mears avoided a pair on near missies, including one that sidelined two of his Richard Childress Racing teammates, to escape Talladega Superspeedway with a respectable, but somewhat disappointing, 16th-place finish.

Mears was leading a freight train of cars towards the front of the field with only three laps to go when an ill-timed bump draft from eventual winner Brad Keselowski got the driver of the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet out of shape. Mears was forced to get out of the gas while he gathered his black and white No. 07 machine back up but, the blink of an eye it took to get the car settled down was enough to let the pack by, forcing the Bakersfield, Calif., native to fend for himself.

Still, the solid showing allowed Mears to move up one position, to 21st, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points. The 31-year-old driver has climbed five spots in the standings over the last three races and trails 20th-place and RCR teammate Kevin Harvick by a slim seven-point margin. At the same time, the veteran driver is just 107 markers behind Dale Earnhardt Jr., in 15th and 152 back from 12th-place Matt Kenseth.

Mears notched the 15th-fastest time in qualifying after touring the massive 2.66-mile facility in 51.096 seconds (187.412 mph), securing a starting spot on the inside of the eighth row for Sunday’s 188-lap feature.

The 43-car field came up to full song shortly after 1 p.m. local time and it only took seven laps before the first of two “Big Ones” erupted in Turn 3. While the Jack Daniel’s Chevy sustained moderate cosmetic damage, Mr. Jack’s Crew, led by crew chief Gil Martin, made repairs over the course of a handful of pit stops and Mears was back underway, none too worse for the wear, for the lap-13 restart.

The second restrictor-plate race of 2009 put on the typical high intensity superspeedway show featuring big packs, three-and-four-wide racing and 57 lead changes among 25 drivers. Mears spent the day racing with the lead pack and, in typical restrictor-plate fashion, went from the back of the pack to the front, and vice versa, all afternoon. He took his turn at the point, leading laps 141-142, and collecting five valuable bonus points in the process.

Following the second multi-car melee of the day, late in the race, Mears was 10th on the scoreboard for the final restart and in position to make a charge for the front. But, with only four laps to go, the contact from Keselowski left him without a drafting partner which, in hindsight, may have been a stroke of good luck.

As the field barreled towards the finish line, Keselowski and Carl Edwards made contact, sending Edwards up in the air and into the catchfence. Mears missed the carnage and was scored 16th when the checkered flag waved.

Keselowski pulled off the upset and picked up his first Sprint Cup Series win in just his fifth start, marking the fourth consecutive week that a Chevy Impala SS has taken home the winner’s trophy. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Ryan Newman, Marcos Ambrose and Scott Speed rounded out the top-five finishers.

Mears’ RCR counterparts Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer finished 10th, 38th and 39th, respectively. Bowyer and Harvick were collected in the first multi-car incident of the afternoon and spent extensive time in the garage area for repairs.

Next weekend, NASCAR’s senior circuit heads north up the eastern seaboard to visit the “Action Track” in Richmond, Va.

Todd Berrier will assume his new role a top the Jack Daniel’s pit box, giving Mr. Jack’s Crew a new look heading into the 10th race of 2009.

Live coverage of the Crown Royal presents the Russ Friedman 400 from Richmond International Raceway will take the green flag Saturday, May 2 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 10th stop on the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule will be televised live on SPEED Friday, May 1 at 5:30 EDT. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will provide qualifying updates live.

CASEY MEARS QUOTES

“Our Jack Daniel's Chevy was really good. We were lacking some speed in Daytona and knew we needed to make some headway back in the shop before we got to Talladega. Everyone has done a great job over the last two months with our superspeedway program. I had a great run going and was moving forward. It was that same run that the No. 09 (Keselowski) got. The No. 09 hit me to bump draft but didn't quite hit me in the right place. It just got me all sideways and I lost all my momentum trying to keep the car underneath me. We ran up with the lead pack most of the day, lead a couple of laps. It was typical Talladega. You go from the front to the back, back to the front. I am proud of Gil (Martin, crew chief) and the guys. They brought a good car and we had the kind of run to show that. We’ve got some big changes coming up this week before we go to Richmond, so I’m excited to get going and having the opportunity to work with Todd (new crew chief Todd Berrier) and his whole group."