This Week's Jack Daniel's Chevrolet for Homestead -- Miami Speedway ... Mr.
Jack's Crew will unload chassis No. 282 from the Richard Childress Racing
stable, which made its debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. After
finishing 19th there, this Chevrolet Impala SS was run at Michigan
International Speedway in August with a finish of sixth, Dover International
Speedway in September finishing 17th and Lowe's Motor Speedway in October
finishing seventh.
Mears in Miami ... Through his six previous starts at HMS, the 31-years old
native of Bakersfield, Calif., has one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His
best start and finish was sixth and fifth, respectively, on the 1.5-mile
oval in 2005. Mears average start is 26.5 with an average finish of 19th
place. He's led two races for a total of 76 laps and completed 1,594 of
1,607 (99.2 percent) circuits contested. Through those six starts, Mears has
qualified in the top 15 three times.
Still no DNFs ... Through the first 35 races of 2009, Mears is one of only
three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have been running at the finish
of every race.
This Hood is for YOU ... After five years of partnership, Jack Daniel's
announced in September they would be discontinuing their NASCAR sponsorship
with the conclusion of this weekend's race. In honor of their association
with RCR, Jack Daniel's has placed the name of every driver, crew member and
administrative person who was part of their program at RCR on the hood of
this weekend's No. 07 Chevrolet.
One Trophy Missing from the Shelf ... Homestead has been a bit of an
Achilles Heel for RCR as one of the few race tracks where team owner Richard
Childress hasn't earned a Sprint Cup Series victory. As a company, RCR's
best finishes at HMS came in 2003 and 2008 when Harvick finished second. In
29 starts, RCR has four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the
mile-and-a-half, progressively-banked oval with drivers Dave Blaney, Clint
Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Green, Harvick and Mike Skinner.
Auto Club Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway are the
only other tracks on the current Cup Series schedule where RCR has yet to
visit Victory Lane.
CASEY MEARS:
In looking at your stats from the past six races, there's a top-five and two
top-10 finishes for you. This track seems like it's been pretty good for
you?
"Yeah, Homestead has been a pretty good track for me. The year Tony Stewart
won the championship (2005), we had a huge lead in that race with about five
to go. We were getting ready to lap Tony and the caution came out for
debris. So, we've had some pretty good races there and it's been a pretty
good track for me. I look forward to going back there because it's the end
of the year and where we're at in points, I just don't think we have a whole
lot to lose. So, we're going to go out there and try to win this race. Not
that we don't try to do that every race, but with it being the last one, you
just tend to let it all hang out there a little bit more."
How has this season gone by for you? For some, it's been a long drag, but
it's gone by quickly for others.
"I would say the beginning and middle of the year felt like about three
years. But, the last six or seven races have gone by like they were all just
last weekend. When things are going good, everyone is positive, everything
is good and everything just goes by so fast. But, when it's not going that
way, it just seems everything goes in such slow motion making the season
drag on-and-on.
"It's been cool to see RCR turn a corner this year and get back to where we
needed to be, and are capable of being every week. Unfortunately, it's now a
season I don't want to see end."
With this being the championship weekend, there are three guys who could
leave Homestead with the crown. Do you race those guys any differently, or
is it business as usual?
"You know, I can't say I've given one guy any slack this year, to be honest.
I've never given the Chase guys more room or been more lenient with them.
We're out there to win races, but I do understand what they're trying to do
this weekend. For the last race of the season, I think it might be a little
different with so much on the line. A mistake by someone else could really
dictate who is going to win the championship. I don't think you want to go
down in history as the guy who screwed it up for someone else and cost them
a championship."
What are your plans for the off-season? Do you have anything on the
calendar, or are you just going to wing it?
"I have a lot of things going on this off-season. First, Jimmie Johnson and
his wife are planning a five-year anniversary trip to where they got
married. So, Trish (fiancee) and I are going to attend that deal. That's
taking place right after the banquet.
"We're also going to go out to the sand dunes in California and have a
little fun during Thanksgiving. We're going to have Christmas at home here
in Charlotte with my daughter. This will be her second one and I'm sure
she's going to want to rip open some presents.
"Then, Trish and I are getting married in January out of the country. So,
that makes for a pretty full plate in the off-season."
-credit: rcr
