NASCAR Cup

Talladega: Casey Mears preview

Casey Mears and No. 41 Target Dodge Target Team Facts: * Championship Standings: Casey Mears and the Target Team slipped two spots to 20th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings after a 37th-place finish at Martinsville. The ...

Published: Apr 22, 2004, 4:02 PM

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Casey Mears and No. 41 Target Dodge

Target Team Facts:

* Championship Standings: Casey Mears and the Target Team slipped two spots to 20th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings after a 37th-place finish at Martinsville. The team sits 199 points out of the NASCAR Top 10, but still has 18 races to battle back before the 10-race chase for the championship begins in September.

* Talladega Facts: Mears qualified inside the top 10 for both NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway in 2003, but was unable to finish either event. The Target Dodge was part of the multi-car incident on lap three that ended his day early in April, and on lap 113 an overheating problem sent the No. 41 to the garage during the fall race.

* Chassis: Crew chief Jimmy Elledge and the Target Team are bringing chassis #210 to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. Mears ran this chassis at Daytona in the opening race of the season earning his best superspeedway finish of 14th.

* Did you know... The paint scheme on Mears' helmet is designed to have the same characteristics his father, Roger Mears, used on his helmet when he raced. The design features three gears that run down the back of the helmet. The younger Mears began using the design after his father retired from racing.

Casey Mears Quotes:

On Talladega... "Talladega is going to be critical for the Target Team," said Mears. "We really need to stay out of trouble and have a good finish. Last week was tough because it set us back in the points. I know that if we miss the on-track incidents this weekend, we have a car capable of finishing in the top 10.

"Talladega is a track where handling isn't an issue, so the motors and bodies really come into play. We are taking the car we ran at Daytona, and at that time the 14th-place finish was a career best for me. I've had extremely successful qualifying runs at Talladega, now I need to work on a good finish."

-cgr-

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