Mears, Choctaw Casino Resort Team Remain Positive After 21st-Place Finish at
Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Despite their less-than-desired 21st-place finish in
Sunday's Dickies 500, Casey Mears and the No. 07 Choctaw Casino Resort
Chevrolet team left Texas Motor Speedway on a positive note, based on the
gains found during the later stages of the event.
The Bakersfield, Calif., native remains 20th in the NSCS championship points
standings, 29 markers behind Joey Logano in 19th and 36 points forward of
his Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick in 21st.
On Friday, Mears recorded the 35th-fastest speed in his mock qualifying run
during practice and followed that up with the 36th-best time in time trials
later that afternoon. During Saturday's dual practice sessions, the Doug
Randolph-led team recorded the 21st-fastest time in the first practice, and
registered 30th on speed chart for Happy Hour.
Sunny skies greeted the 167,000 fans on hand for Sunday's 500-mile event.
Once the initial-green flag flew, heavy traffic and early long-green flag
runs trapped Mears inside the top-30 running positions. Following a
green-flag pit stop on lap 55, Mears and Co. found themselves one lap down
to the leaders in 31st.
As the race progressed, Mears and Randolph, in only their second race
together, methodically worked to improve the handling on the No. 07 Impala
SS with each pit stop. By the race's midway mark on lap 167, the 31-year old
driver was running speeds comparable to those in the top 15.
Mears continued to race hard for the 'Lucky Dog' spot as the laps ticked
away, but long green-flag runs hindered his advancement.
Over the closing 50 laps of the race, it became apparent that fuel mileage
would be a factor in the 334-lap race's ending.
Randolph called Mears, who was running 21st, to the attention of the Choctaw
crew for the final stop of the day on lap 318 and they bolted on four fresh
tires and topped off with fuel. The smart decision allowed Mears to maintain
his position of 21st as the checkered flag waved.
Kurt Busch stretched his fuel to take his second victory of the season.
Denny Hamlin finished second, Matt Kenseth was third, Mark Martin finished
fourth and RCR teammate Harvick coasted to the finish line fifth.
Mears' other RCR stable mates Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton finished seventh
and ninth, respectively.
Casey Mears: "Starting in the back really hurt the No. 07 team today
and we were too tight to start off. We got the car dialed in during that
third run but, by then, we were already a lap down. We definitely showed
faster speeds as the race went on and, if we had got back on the lead lap, I
think we were anywhere from an eighth- to 15th-place car. We'll try and
rebound next weekend at Phoenix."
Next weekend, NASCAR's senior circuit will visit Phoenix International
Raceway for the second and final time of the season.
-credit: rcr
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