Casey Mears No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS Budweiser Shootout Preview 

No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS - Event Preview Fact Sheet - Event/Date: Budweiser Shootout 
– Feb. 7, 2009 Venue: Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla.

* This Week’s Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway … Casey Mears will pilot Chassis No. 244 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s Budweiser Shootout. Built new in 2008, Clint Bowyer raced this car to a 25th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 last May at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Since then, this Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS has been converted from its original downforce configuration into a superspeedway car. 

* The Race … The Budweiser Shootout has been a tradition at Daytona International Speedway each February, dating back to 1979, and unofficially kicks off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The non-points event launches over a week of racing for NASCAR’s top three touring divisions, culminating with the 51st running of the Daytona 500 Sunday on Feb. 15. The Budweiser Shootout (formerly the Busch Clash), began as a 20-lap sprint in 1979 but the 2009 installment will consist of 75 laps. The first segment is 25 laps, followed by a 10-minute break when crews will be allowed to make adjustments to their race cars on pit road. The second segment is 50 laps. Caution laps will count toward the total in both segments, allowing the second segment to extend beyond the scheduled 75-lap distance to include a green-white-checkered flag finish, if necessary. The Budweiser Shootout will have a new look this season with the starting lineup consisting of the top six cars in the final 2008 owner’s points standings from each of the division’s four manufacturers, plus an additional wild card entry from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota. In years past, the starting grid was made up of pole sitters from the previous season and past winners of the event. A total of 28 drivers are eligible for 2009 Budweiser Shootout making it the largest field in the history of the race. Last year’s field was made up of 23 entries. Starting positions will be determined by random draw at the annual Bud Shootout Draw Party on Thursday night, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. on the SPEED stage outside Turn 4. 

* There’s a New Kid in Town … After four-year tenure with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and spending the last two seasons at Hendrick Motorsports, Mears comes to RCR where he will take over the seat of the Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet. In six previous seasons on NASCAR’s senior circuit, Mears has notched one win, three poles, 12 top-five and 42 top-10 finishes. In 216 races, the 1999 Indy Lights championship runner up has recorded a 21.2 average starting position, a 22nd-place average finish and led 385 laps. 

* The Road Traveled … Mears was guaranteed a spot in this year’s Bud Shootout as a result of the Jack Daniel’s team’s fifth-place finish in the final 2008 Sprint Cup Series owner’s point standings. While Bowyer drove the Jack Daniel’s Chevy last season, a starting spot for Saturday night’s non-points race is awarded to the team and car owner, not the driver. With Bowyer moving over to RCR’s No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet for 2009, Mears was awarded his third berth in the season opener at DIS. 

> Daytona Data …

Shootout Synopsis … Mears finished sixth in last year’s Bud Shootout and 12th in 2005. While the luck of the draw has been anything but lucky, the Bakersfield, Calif., native still completed all 140 laps during those two races and logged a respectable 9.5 average finish.

Daytona by the Numbers … In 12 previous starts on Daytona’s legendary high banks, not including the Bud Shootout, Mears has a second-place finish to call a career best. The 30-year-old driver started 14th and went on to record a runner-up finish at the 2006 Daytona 500. Over those same 12 starts, the seventh-year Sprint Cup Series veteran has notched one top-five and a pair of top-10 finishes at the “World Center of Racing.” He has logged a 22.1 average start, a 21.9 average finish, completed 1,933 of 2,076 laps (93.1 percent) and earned just shy of $3 million in purse money.

* Going to the Chapel … During the off-season, Mears and his girlfriend Trisha Grablander were engaged. The happy couple plan to wed following the 2009 season. 

* Three to Get Ready … In addition to the Jack Daniel’s Chevy, RCR will also field cars for Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick in this year’s event, giving the Welcome, N.C.-based organization three cars in the Bud Shootout. 

* RCR at the Shootout … RCR has earned five checkered flags in the Budweiser Shootout and has had an entry in 22 of the 30 races to date. Dale Earnhardt won the race in 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995. 

* Knocking the Rust Off … Mears and Mr. Jack’s Crew tested three times prior to Speedweeks in an effort to get to know one another and be better prepared for 2009. The group was at Nashville Superspeedway on Nov. 4, 2008, at GM’s Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa, Ariz., from Jan. 12-14 and at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna, Fla., on Tues., Jan. 27. 

* Are you Experienced … Mears will appear at the Jack Daniel’s Experience on Sat., Feb. 7 at 5:15 p.m. The Jack Daniel’s Experience will be located in the display area, outside Turn 4, on speedway property. The Jack Daniel’s Experience is a 53-foot tractor- trailer filled with artifacts, state-of-the art video monitors, sound system and graphics to give race fans a taste of Lynchburg and the Distillery. The Jack Daniel’s Experience will be open on Sat., Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sun., Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

* Catch the Action … Live coverage of the Budweiser Shootout from Daytona International Speedway will take the green flag Sat, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast from coast-to-coast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. The Budweiser Shootout Draw Party to determine the starting lineup will be televised on SPEED Thurs., February 5 at 8 p.m. EST.

> CASEY MEARS QUOTES

While, as a driver, you inherited your spot in the Shootout, your new team worked themselves into position to be eligible. How important is it for you guys to have the chance to race together before the Daytona 500?

“It’s definitely a big plus for us to be able to run the Bud Shootout, regardless of the reason. For us to get the opportunity to work together a little bit more, especially with the current testing policy, is going to be a big help.

“The Bud Shootout is just a fun race to be in. It’s exciting. It’s a lot of fun. You’re just there to win. You’re not there to points race. In the big race, you might think twice about making a risky move just because you don’t want to get the year started off on the wrong foot. In the Shootout, you’re just there to win, so that makes it a lot of fun. I’ve always enjoyed it. At the same time, it’s going to give us a little bit of a leg up on gathering information for the Daytona 500.”

How much of an advantage will it be, if there is an advantage, to be in the Bud Shootout considering no one will have tested at Daytona this season?

“I don’t know if it’s going to be a huge advantage but getting a race under our belts is the biggest benefit. It’s really hard to simulate those conditions in a test or even in practice. Obviously, we practice in groups but you’ve got guys blending into the group which would never happen in a race. That kind of breaks up the group and people get different runs. I think people are hesitant to get into really tight packs because it’s just practice. The key is we’re going to see true race conditions. Obviously, having a full year under our belts with the Impala SS gives us a baseline to go off of. I’m excited to see how the car has improved and how the RCR cars drive compared to where I was last year (Hendrick Motorsports). All the information we gather during the Bud Shootout is going to be really valuable.”

How do you look at getting integrated into your new team and working with Clint (Bowyer), Jeff (Burton) and Kevin (Harvick)?

“I’m really looking forward to getting more involved. I had an opportunity to test with my new crew chief Gil Martin and the No. 07 team at Nashville back in November and we all hit it off right away. It’s a great group of guys. From the standpoint of working with the rest of the guys, I’m slowly getting to know everybody a little bit more. Jeff and I talked quite a bit when I flew with him to Pre-Season Thunder down in Daytona. That was a great opportunity to catch up with him. I’ve spoken with Kevin off and on and I’ve gotten to know Clint just by hanging out at the track the last couple of years. Obviously, I know Kevin from back home but there’s such an age gap that I was always just below him as we were coming up through the ranks. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with all three guys to find out what I can learn from them and what I can bring to the table from my past experiences. My initial thoughts are just being excited. I’m genuinely excited about being here at RCR. There’s a feeling here that’s just a little more relaxed. There are die-hard racers here and they’re working harder than anyone else in the sport but, at the same time, RCR has a down-home feel to it. That’s something I really enjoy. I grew up racing with my family and that’s how we did it. That’s the sense I get here. It’s fun.”