Texaco/Havoline Team Earns Top-15 Finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 14, 2006) --- Texaco/Havoline pilot Casey Mears wheeled the No. 42 Dodge Charger to a 12th-place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway (LMS) Saturday night. Due to smaller fuel cells mandated by NASCAR at LMS, there were a large number of pit stops and the team got caught in the pits when the yellow flag waved while making a green-flag stop. The team fell one lap down and finished the day 12th. Mears qualified his black and red Dodge third for the Bank of America 500 under the lights at LMS. The first caution flag waved following the completion of Lap 1 of 334. Mears told crew chief Donnie Wingo the car was a little tight, but he was holding his top-five position. Mears pitted for fuel on lap 18 following the second caution period. Four cars elected to remain on the track, and Mears took the green flag on lap 21 from the 10th position. Mears dropped back to 12th after getting caught on the outside line. He worked his way back up to eighth when the yellow flag waved on lap 34. He pitted for fuel and a wedge adjustment to try and gain track position and as a result was sitting fifth for the restart on lap 38. After 10 laps of green-flag racing, Mears told the crew the change didn't make the car any better; it still had no rear grip. The Texaco/Havoline crew made an air pressure adjustment before putting on right-side tires during a caution period on lap 47 to try and make the car easier for Mears to drive. Unfortunately, Mears continued to battle with a lack of grip. He slipped back to 17th when the caution flag waved on lap 104. The team made a chassis adjustment, along with air pressure adjustments in the front tires, fitted the car with fresh Goodyear's and packed it full of fuel. Mears remained 17th for the restart on lap 108. The adjustment appeared to help the handling of the Texaco/Havoline Dodge, as Mears began to work his way up through the field. He maneuvered his way up to 12th after passing the No.99 car before green-flag pit stops began. Wingo called Mears down pit road on lap 155 for four tires and fuel. The caution flag waved just seven laps later and Mears came back down pit road because the car had become extremely tight. The Texaco/Havoline crew jumped pit wall to change four tires, pull a spring rubber out of the left rear and add fuel. When the green flag waved on lap 167, Mears was 16th and there were just 21 cars on the lead lap. Mears had a close call with the No. 07 car on lap 179 and lost two spots on the track. He battled back up to 16th by lap 190 and was getting ready to make his second green-flag stop of the day. He came down pit road on lap 203 for tires and fuel. Mears was extremely quick for the first 15 laps on new tires. By lap 216, he was up to 13th. Another round of green-flag stops began on lap 235. Wingo called Mears down pit road on lap 240 for right-side tires only. Unfortunately, the caution flag waved while Mears was leaving his pit stall. NASCAR scored him on the tail end of the lap. He was forced to line up directly in front of the leader for the restart on lap 251. Mears was passed by the leader and fell a lap down on lap 253. He told Wingo the car still had no grip at all. By lap 256, the race leader passed the No. 31 car to put the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge the second car one lap down. The caution flag waved for debris on lap 275 and Mears pitted for four tires and fuel. He lined up 13th for the restart on lap 280, the second car one lap down. Mears eventually raced his way up to 12th and in position to earn the free pass back on the lead lap on lap 308. Unfortunately for Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team another caution flag never waved. Despite passing the No. 8 car that finished fourth in the closing laps, Mears and the team had to settle for the 12th-place finish. Mears' Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates David Stremme and Reed Sorenson finished 15th and 36th respectively. The Texaco/Havoline team remains 15th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings with five races remaining. Mears and the team sit 32 points behind the 14th place driver. On Friday night, Mears and crew chief Brad Parrott put on quite a show in the NASCAR Busch Series race. After starting fourth, Mears dropped back to 17th twice and even fell a lap down on lap 95 after getting caught before green-flag pit stops cycled through. He earned the free pass onto the lead lap when the caution waved on lap 114. He drove up to 10th on lap 142 and continued his charge to the front. He was sitting sixth on lap 167 when green-flag pit stops began. The caution waved on lap 183 with Mears leading, but he still needed to pit for fuel. He came down pit road on lap 183 for four seconds of fuel before returning to the track. NASCAR red flagged the race to determine the scoring order. Mears had been shown as the leader, but eventually was moved back to second behind Carl Edwards for the restart on lap 192. The caution waved again on lap 194 as Mears was making his move on Edwards. Racing resumed on lap 196 and the two drivers began to battle it out on the track. Mears was trying to make the pass on several different lines, as Edwards was doing his best to keep Mears behind him. Mears was making the pass on the high side of Edwards when the Texaco/Havoline Dodge got up into the loose marbles on lap 198. Mears spun and collected Edwards. He finished his final Busch Series race of the season in 26th.
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