NASCAR Cup

Dover: Casey Mears preview

Texaco/Havoline Team Facts: * Standings: Casey Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team hold steadfast in 11th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship standings following their 23rd-place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears and ...

Published: Jun 2, 2006, 3:49 PM

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Texaco/Havoline Team Facts:

* Standings: Casey Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team hold steadfast in 11th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship standings following their 23rd-place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears and the team sit 52 points behind 10th-place driver Kevin Harvick. The team was running fifth at Lowe's Motor Speedway with less than 100 laps remaining in last Sunday night's race when the car broke loose on Mears. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge spun into the outside wall causing major damage to the car and relegating the team to the 23rd-place finish.

* CoT Testing: Mears participated in a two-day test of the Car of Tomorrow (CoT) at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was the first time Mears had driven the CoT. This is the second CoT test that Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates has participated in this year.

* Dover: Mears has participated in six races at the 1-mile track in Dover, Del. Mears rallied to finish 10th at the concrete oval last fall after falling back to 41st on lap 17. The team made significant changes to his Dodge Charger before the start of the race and despite a loose condition, was consistently one of the quickest cars on the track for the 404-lap race.

* Chassis: Crew chief Donnie Wingo and the Texaco/Havoline team will compete with chassis #401 for the Neighborhood Excellence 400 on Sunday. Mears drove this chassis at California, Las Vegas and Texas already this season where he finished seventh, ninth and 14th respectively.

* Charity Bidding: CGRFS held a charity auction last week at its Concord shop to honor the loss of teammate Bill Ellis. The auction raised over $40,000 for a trust being set up for Ellis' wife and three children. There are three additional items currently on eBay for auction including an autographed side panel off of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s black tribute No. 8 car that he ran at Talladega on April 30. In addition, there is a Jack Ingram NASCAR Busch Series fire suit that is autographed by the five-time Series champion and four VIP box tickets to the Nine Inch Nails concert coming to Charlotte, N.C. on June 10, 2006.

* Help us Celebrate: The 2007 season will mark Texaco/Havoline's 20th year as a sponsor in NASCAR. From Davey Allison to Mears, Texaco/Havoline has a rich history in the sport. To commemorate its history, Texaco/Havoline is printing a one-of-a-kind book filled with photos and stories submitted by fans, drivers, crew members and media. Fans can submit their favorite story, interesting tale or special moment in their life involving the Texaco/Havoline race team at www.texacohavoline42.com or by calling 800-518-0028 through the end of July.

Casey Mears Quotes:

On Dover...

"Dover has been a unique track for me. I've had several top-10 cars at Dover, but last fall was the only race I've been able to bring the car home in 10th. Aside from last year, we've had blown tires and got caught up in other accidents. I think we made huge strides last weekend at Charlotte, and we are bringing a car that ran consistently earlier in the season. Donnie (Wingo) and the team have worked on it since Texas, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it handles this weekend."

On the CoT...

"I was pleasantly surprised at the Car of Tomorrow. It handles pretty well, and is not much different than what I drove last weekend at Charlotte. The rear of the car felt more stable than what we run now, so that's a good thing."

-cgr-

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