Casey Mears, #41 - Aaron's 499 Preview
RACE INFORMATION: EVENT: Aaron's 499 (race 8 of 36) TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway QUALIFYING: Friday, April 4, 3:00 p.m. EST RACE: Sunday, April 6, 12:00 p.m. EST BROADCAST: FOX television and MRN radio TARGET TEAM FACTS: · Chassis: Team Target will race chassis #003 at Talladega. This is a brand new car. · Mears is the only Raybestos Rookie to complete all 7 races this season without a DNF. · Mears is currently third in Raybestos Rookie point standings, behind McMurray and Biffle. · Mears and Jamie McMurray are the first teammate rookies to compete for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. · Mears became the first rookie to lead a lap and the only rookie to lead a lap in the Daytona 500. TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY STATS: Casey Mears, Busch Series DATE RACE LOCATION START FINISH STATUS 4/20/02 Aaron's 312 Talladega Superspeeday 25 5 Running ANDY GRAVES QUOTES: Team Manager and #41 Spotter What have the three teams learned since Daytona to help CGRs Speedway program? "We went back out to Arizona for three days to do straight-line testing and we've been in the wind tunnel a couple more times. The 41 actually has a new car that we've never raced before based off of those results and we've just modified both the 40 and 42 cars." Is it beneficial for you to be spotting on Sundays? "It lets me see what is developing on the race track and I think that's beneficial. It makes me feel a lot more involved. I've enjoyed it quite a bit, as a race fan also." How are the three drivers working together? We know Sterling is helping the rookies. Are the rookies helping Sterling? "I think indirectly they are helping Sterling. If you ask him, he probably doesn't think so. Obviously, when you have two real young fast guys that are going out there and putting up pretty good laps, indirectly it will push Sterling." The #40 car has had a sluggish start to the season. What do you attribute that to? "Glover and I were talking about this the other day. If you take back the motor that they blew up at Rockingham and then the wreck at Darlington. If Sterling would have finished 10th at both of those places then after Bristol he would have been second in points. So, I would attribute it to luck." Has the expansion to three cars hurt the team? "I don't think it has hurt the team I think we're learning how to work with three cars. Getting everything built up. Getting the systems put together. When we come back from the track how to put the cars through the system. It's all a challenge. I don't want to say that it's hurt, but it has been an adjustment and it certainly hasn't helped at this point but later in the year I think it's going to help the organization as a whole." TEAM TARGET CREW: Name Crew position Race shop duty Hometown Casey Mears Driver Driver Bakersfield, California Jimmy Elledge Crew Chief Crew Chief Redding, California Andy Graves Team Manager Team Manager Syracuse, New York Tony Glover Team Manager Team Manager Kingsport, Tennessee Al Shuford Team Trainer Team Trainer Shelby, North Carolina Darren Wolfe Front Tire Changer Front Mechanic Fletcher, North Carolina Marty Forcier Front Tire Carrier Paint Shop Superior, Wisconsin Randy Cox Rear Tire Changer Car Chief Trinity, North Carolina Heath Cherry Rear Tire Carrier Race Day Only Belmont, North Carolina Mark Jacobs Jack Man Race Day Only Ft. Walton Beach, Florida Les Huntley Gas Man Suspension Specialist Renwick, Iowa Todd Anderson Catch Can Man Chassis Setup Jewell, Iowa Doug Spees Windshield Tire Specialist Toledo, Ohio Andy Graves Spotter Team Manager Syracuse, New York Russ Bales Engine Specialist Engine Specialist Sandy Springs, Georgia Chris Coxon Engineer Engineer Cheboygan, Michigan Paul Clapprood Pit Support Front Mechanic Stafford Springs, Connecticut Trevor Lynse Pit Support Test Team Fergus Falls, Minneapolis Dave Shano Pit Support Truck Driver El Cajon, California Bill Henderson Pit Support Rear Mechanic Brookfield, Massachusetts Roger Parkinson Pit Support Shocks San Diego, California Melissa Zeno Scorer Race Day Only Lynchburg, Virginia