Mears and the Texaco/Havoline Team Pull a Top 15 Out of their Hat at California
FONTANA, Calif. (September 3, 2006) --- After battling a loose-handling race car all evening at California Speedway, Casey Mears and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline team knew they had nothing to lose as they decided to push their fuel mileage to its limit in the closing laps of the Sony HD 500. Running in 11th place on the final circuit of the 250-lap race, Mears came out of turn two with a race car that was running on empty, but he managed to hold on to his top-15 run to call it a night in 14th place.
“You guys made something out of nothing here tonight,” Mears commented to his team over the radio after the race. “This car felt identical to Michigan. It was really loose in, tight through the center and loose off. The No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge just couldn’t get dialed into the track, but we came out of here with a top 15 because of Donnie’s [Wingo] call there with about 50 laps to go. The pit crew hit its marks and then some tonight. I either maintained or gained position every time I visited pit road. I can’t thank those guys enough for their effort here tonight. They were phenomenal.”
Mears and No. 42 Dodge lined up 33rd to take the green flag on Sunday evening, as the race got underway just after 5 p.m. PT. On the very first lap, Mears radioed his team that the car was extremely loose. The car was lacking rear grip and needed help getting through the center.
The first yellow flag of the race waved on lap 10 and was just what the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) team needed. Mears retreated to pit road in 29th place for air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments, along with four tires and fuel. Racing resumed on lap 14 with Mears in 28th place.
The No. 42 went on to run up to 26th place before pitting again during the second yellow-flag conditions of the race on lap 29. Still looking for more grip, the team made another air pressure adjustment and then topped the stop off with four tires and fuel. The pit stop turned out to be one of the most impressive over-the-wall efforts of the night with the Texaco/Havoline team gaining a total of three spots on pit road. Green-flag racing resumed on lap 32 with Mears in 23rd place, now a top-25 contender.
From that point on the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge never fell outside the top 25. Although the car’s handling seemed to be a bit off the majority of the race, Mears and the team were able to fight their way into the top 15.
The turning point of the show came just after the seventh yellow flag of the race waved on lap 192. The No. 42 car reported to pit road for another air pressure adjustment, along with four tires and fuel. With the field still under caution, crew chief Donnie Wingo started calculating. He quickly weighed the odds and then made the call for Mears to come back down pit road one more time to top off with fuel on lap 194. There was a little more than 50 laps left to run, Wingo decided he would gamble with fuel mileage to try to get the best finish possible for his team. Mears followed orders and visited his team’s pit stall one more time. Then, he was back on track and ready to take the green on lap 196.
As the 200th lap lit up on the infield scoring tower, the No. 42 was in 21st place. It continued to climb up the tall tower from there, getting as high as 19th before the long green-flag run forced other teams to pit one last time for fuel. As the other teams pitted, the No. 42 Dodge continued to move forward and was a top-10 contender by lap 240.
In the last 10 laps, cars with fresher tires were able to pass Mears but he fought for every position and eventually settled into 11th place by lap 249. Then, as he was making his final lap of the night, his car started to falter coming out of turn two. Mears worked his car up and down the track to shake out what fuel was left and as a result he maintained his top-15 run to finish the long day and night in 14th place.
The never-give-up effort by Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team resulted in them taking another step up in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. They now stand 15th overall with 11 races remaining.
Mears’ teammates Reed Sorenson and David Stremme finished 21st and 36th respectively. Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team will head to Richmond International Raceway to race under the lights for the third week in a row this Saturday night, Sept. 9. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is scheduled to start at 7:40 p.m. ET and will broadcast live on TNT (TV) and MRN (Radio).
Mears and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Busch team competed in their eighth NASCAR Busch Series race of the 2006 season this past Saturday at California Speedway in the Ameriquest 300. The team worked to overhaul its mishandling car most of the evening. Together, Mears and the team managed to get the car handling better during the closing laps of the 150-lap race and came home in 16th place.
The Texaco/Havoline Busch team’s last run of the 2006 season is scheduled to take place at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 13 in the Dollar General 300.
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