Engine Failure puts Team Target on the Bench

Contact: Nealie Hamilton, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, cell:
(704) 500-6068, nhamilton@ganassi.com

 

For Immediate Release

 


Engine Failure puts Team Target on the Bench


 

PHOENIX, Az. (November 2, 2003) --- Casey Mears was rounding the bases
on Friday.  He qualified in the top-10 for the Winston Cup and Busch
Series races at Phoenix International Raceway.  

 

Saturday, Team Target got a strike when Mears finished the Busch race in
21st position due to an ill-handling car.

 

On Sunday, the team found two more strikes to put them on the bench
early.  From the start of the race, Mears fell back through the field.
He felt a major vibration on lap 109.  Finally, on lap 119, Mears lost
the motor in his No. 41 Dodge.  He took the car to the garage and ended
his day in 42nd position.

 

"We weren't running near as good as I thought we might have been," Mears
said following his engine failure.  "At the beginning of the race it was
super-tight.  I was way, way tight.  We're trying a couple of new things
in the motor.  We're a little down in the points so we tried a few
things and it didn't wind up living but they're working real hard at
trying to make some more power.  I'm glad we're trying some things new.
It's just too bad it didn't make it to the end." 

 

Mears dropped one position to 35th in NASCAR Winston Cup Championship
points.  Ganassi teammates Sterling Marlin and Jamie McMurray finished
the race back to back in 11th and 12th places.

 

Team Target races at North Carolina Speedway next weekend.  The Target
House 200 Busch Series race will be broadcast live this Saturday at 1:00
p.m. ET on TNT television and MRN radio.  The Pop Secret 400 Winston Cup
race will be broadcast live this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on the same
stations.

 

XXX

 

 

Nealie Hamilton

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

phone: (704) 662-9642 x1130

cell: (704) 500-6068

nhamilton@ganassi.com