Mears and No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet team have undeserving 
finish at Dover, but gain one spot in points

 Race: AAA 400 - Venue: Dover (Del.) International Speedway - 
Start: 29th - Finish: 17th - Points: 19th (Gained one position)

DOVER, Del. – Casey Mears and the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS team of Richard Childress Racing had a good race day at Dover International Speedway; despite what the finishing results show on paper.

A late-race pit decision by driver and crew chief didn’t turn out the way they liked, but the good news is they take away some great information for the future and were able to move up one position, to 19th, in the points standings.

When the only pre-qualifying practice ended on Friday afternoon, Mears & Co. were 24th on the speed chart. Qualifying took place later in the day under sunny skies, and the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet Impala SS registered the 29th-fastest time.

Two practice sessions on Saturday afternoon resulted in Mears posting the 18th and 20th times on the speed chart. The good news was Mears and Mr. Jack’s Crew were happy how the car was handling at the end of practice.

That confidence carried over into race day on Sunday, and it showed right from the initial green flag. Before a mandatory caution on lap 25, Mears had moved up four spots to 25th. He was so pleased with how the car handled that he and crew chief Todd Berrier elected to make only right-rear air pressure adjustments on that first stop.

As the laps ticked off in the 400-lap race on the one-mile concrete oval, Mears did his part by picking off positions in a methodical charge to the front. He cracked the top 20 by lap 47, top 15 by lap 99 and raced there for the next 277 laps of action.

During each caution pit stop, Mr. Jack’s crew only made air pressure adjustments to adapt to the changing track conditions. When the Happy Hour practice ended on Saturday afternoon, Mears was pleased with the track’s grip from so much rubber being put down during practice sessions.

However, overnight and early Sunday rains washed most of that grip off. As the race wore on, the track’s grip improved. That called for air pressure adjustments to keep the Jack Daniel’s Impala SS near the front and in contention for a good finish.

Berrier made the right calls and Mears the right moves as they jumped into the top 10 on lap 341 under caution. Restarting in ninth place on lap 346, Mears moved up to eighth until a caution on lap 367.

During this time, both Mears and Berrier agreed the tires weren’t wearing enough to demand a pit stop. And, not wanting to give up their top-10 track position, they elected to remain out instead of pitting. As the single-file field paced past the entrance to pit road, all eight cars ahead of Mears elected to stay out. However, several cars behind him hit pit road for two or four tires.

When the final restart took place with 27 laps remaining, Mears fought to remain in the top 10, but it quickly became apparent that wasn’t going to happen. Fighting with cars on fresher tires, the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet waged battle until the checkered flag waved on lap 400, finishing 17th.

Jimmie Johnson gave Chevrolet its 14th victory for 2009 and 30th win, of 80 races, at Dover. Hewas followed by teammate Mark Martin in second with Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch rounding out the top-five finishers.

The entire Richard Childress Racing stable registered top-20 finishes with Kevin Harvick in 12th, Clint Bowyer in 15th and Jeff Burton in 16th.

With only seven races remaining on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, the next stop is the once-a-year visit to the 1.5-mile oval of Kansas Speedway.

Casey Mears quotes – “This Jack Daniel's Chevrolet was fast today. We mutually decided on the call there at the end to stay out when others behind us came in for tires. It was the decision we made and it was right on the breaking point of being good or bad. We ended up falling out of the top 10 as fresh rubber went by us. The pit crew did their job, too. Next time we come to Dover, we know what call to make. I'm not mad at anyone, just wish our finished showed how we really ran."