Bristol bites Team Target

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 23, 2003) --- Team Target got bit by Bristol Motor
Speedway early during Sunday's Food City 500.  Within the first 20 laps of
the race, driver Casey Mears got caught in two accidents that put him out of
contention for a win.

Mears took his first provisional to start the Food City 500 in 39th place at
the 0.533-mile speedway.  On lap 14, Mears caught the tail end of a wreck
and did minor damage to the right front of his Target Dodge when he bumped
the #88 of Dale Jarrett.  Team Target pitted the car twice before the
restart of the race.  Mending the minor damage and putting right tires on
during one stop and left tires on during the second stop.  

On the restart, Mears and a few other cars were catching up with the lead
pack.  The cars in front of him checked up, unfortunately, Mears got into
the back of them and highly damaged the front end of his car.

"It looked like someone crashed in front of us," Mears said after the
accident.  "I don't know what happened.  I was just going through the gears
taking my time and it looked like somebody up front may have missed a shift
or somebody may have got into somebody else.  I never even knew there was a
crash until I hit John (Andretti).  It's hard to say.  I never saw anything,
never heard anything.  I was just going through the gears and before I knew
it John just stopped and I got into the back of him."

Team Target took the car behind the wall to repair the following: removed
sheet metal from the front of the car, changed the power steering pump,
replaced seven power steering lines and oil lines, bypassed the water
pressure tank, changed the radiator and radiator hoses, and checked the
front alignment of the car.  

Mears went back out on the track on lap 84.  He eventually finished the race
in 32nd position and is currently 31st in championship point standings.

Kurt Busch was the race winner; this was his second consecutive Food City
500 win.

Team Target heads to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend for the Samsung/Radio
Shack 400.  The race will be broadcast live on FOX television and PRN radio
on Sunday, March 30.

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