NASCAR Cup

Darlington: Casey Mears preview

Texaco/Havoline Team Facts: * Standings: Casey Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team moved back into the top 10 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings with their 17th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway last ...

Published: May 9, 2006, 7:23 AM

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Texaco/Havoline Team Facts:

* Standings: Casey Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team moved back into the top 10 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings with their 17th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway last Saturday night. The finish was a career best for Mears at the short track. After the first 10 races of 2005, Mears sat 25th in the standings.

* Mother's Day: Casey and his mom Carol are more than just mother and son. The dynamic pair has worked together since Casey was just a kid. Casey was raised in the family business which his mother and father, Roger, ran. Carol has been managing much of her son's business since he started racing, and when they sold the family business in 2000 she began Casey Mears, Inc. She still runs it for him today. Carol will take part in driver introductions at Darlington this weekend in honor of Mother's Day.

* Darlington Raceway: Mears has competed in five NEXTEL Cup events at Darlington Raceway and is looking for his first top-10 finish at the South Carolina track. His best finish is 15th which he earned in March of 2004. In the inaugural night race last year, Mears finished 39th.

* Chassis: Crew chief Donnie Wingo and the Texaco/Havoline team will take chassis #403 to the Dodge Charger 500 this weekend at Darlington. This is the first time this season Wingo has pulled chassis #403 from the team's stable. This was the most utilized chassis by Wingo and the No. 42 team last season; it ran in over 10 races in 2005.

Casey Mears Quotes:

"Darlington is an awesome racetrack. Outside of Charlotte, Texas and the tracks like them, it's one of the most fun places we go to just because it's so different. The way you drive that place is so much fun, right up against the wall. It's definitely tough. I haven't survived it yet without hitting the fence a little bit too hard and not finishing as well as I should. Even though it's aggravating from that aspect, I'm really looking forward to going there just because it's so unique. The tires wear out so fast and you run so close to the wall there's a real small margin for error. It's so easy to make a small mistake and end your day.

"The last few weeks have been aggravating, but we are back in the top 10 in points. I can't stress enough how important it is for us to start finishing in the top 10. I don't have great finishes at Darlington, but I know this team can run well there. We tested at Charlotte and were really fast at times, so the next few weeks should be good for us."

-cgr-

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