Casey Mears and No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Endure 
Tough Time in Daytona

Race/Date: Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola; July 4, 2009 - 
Venue: Daytona International Speedway - Start: 20th (based on Owner’s Points) - 
Finish: 34th - Points: 22nd, trailing 20th by 39 markers

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Casey Mears and the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS team of Richard Childress Racing came to Daytona International Speedway with high hopes based on well-prepared equipment and past company success.

After posting the second-fastest practices times prior to qualifying, Mears and team were looking to secure a great starting position for the 400-mile race. However, Mother Nature showed up Friday afternoon and literally rained down on their plans.

With the field set by Owner’s Points, the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet took the green flag in 20th position. And, as America was celebrating its birthday with fireworks, it didn’t take long for them to start on the 2.5-mile, high-banked oval of Daytona, as well.

In the first five circuits, the No. 07 black and white Impala SS streaked to 12th position. The first caution waved with Mears in 19th on lap 11. Crew Chief Todd Berrier called the Chevrolet Impala SS down pit road for fuel, four tires and a slight chassis adjustment.

Restarting 18th, Mears went right back to fast racing moving his way forward to 13th in just two laps. After radioing in that the car’s back end wasn’t sticking to the track the way he liked, in typical Daytona-race fashion of restrictor-plate racing, he dropped to 19th by lap 27.

While exiting Turn 2 on the next circuit, a car running the high line came off the wall into Mears as he was trying to pass underneath. The resulting contact sent Mears off the racing surface spinning with the back end making contact with the inside retaining wall.

After nursing the car back to pit road, the Jack Daniel’s crew leapt into action making repairs to the left-quarter panel and rear wing. Just as it appeared they were ready to return to action, NASCAR officials deemed the wing was not properly attached, which forced Mears to drive the car into the garage to complete repairs.

The crew immediately swarmed the car and began cutting, pop riveting, repairing and bear bonding the damaged area. In 10 green flag laps, Mears cranked up the car and headed back out onto the track on lap 46 in 39th place; 17 laps behind the leader.

From there, it was a matter of survival and making it to the finale on lap 160 in one piece. The car didn’t handle or move through the air like before, but continued to run competitive lap times.

Missing out on two more big wrecks, one which decided the final outcome, Mears moved up to 34th and was able to make up one lap. When the smoked cleared from the final chase to the checkered multi-car wreck, the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS was credited with 34th place; 16 laps behind the leaders.

His fellow RCR teammates; Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer finished 16th, 26th and 29th, respectively, with Harvick and Bowyer involved in a multi-car wreck on lap 77. As a result of their finish, Mears and team dropped from 20th to 22nd in points, but are only 39 markers out of 20th.

Fellow Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart notched his second victory of the season and was followed by Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards to round out the top-five.

Mears and team take to Chicagoland Speedway on Thursday for practice and qualifying as they prepare for Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400. He is a former pole winner with an average starting position of 9.3 at the 1.5-mile oval.

The LifeLock.com 400 from Chicagoland Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, July 11 at 8 p.m. (ET). Race coverage is live on TNT TV beginning at 6:30 p.m. and broadcast worldwide on the MRN and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 19th race on the 2009 schedule will be televised live on SPEED Thursday, July 9 at 8:30 p.m.

Casey Mears quotes – “We started out so strong and I was really happy with the car. I’m going to have to really look at the replay of what happened there coming out of Turn 2, but all I know is I was going forward one moment when a car came got into me and I went spinning.

“I have to give Todd and the entire Jack Daniel’s crew credit for how hard they worked during the race. They did a great job making the repairs so we could get back out there and for staying in the game so we could finish.

“Once we got back out there, we were able to miss out on some of those wrecks and pick up a few spots. This finish was in no way any indication of how good this car was and what we were capable of doing here in Daytona.”