Casey Mears/No. 41 Target Dodge Daytona Advance
Daytona 500 - Daytona International Speedway
Target Team Facts:
* Testing: Casey Mears and the Target Team finished
ninth overall on the speed charts during testing at Daytona
International Speedway. Mears piloted the No. 41 Doge around the
2.5-mile superspeedway in 48.011 seconds.
* Chassis: Crew chief Jimmy Elledge and the Target
Team are bringing chassis #210 for the "All-American Race." Mears drove
this car in January during the team's three-day test at Daytona.
* Daytona Facts: Mears completed 318 out of 319
laps in the three events he ran at Daytona International Speedway in
NASCAR's elite series in 2003. He finished 15th in the Gatorade 125's,
27th in the Daytona 500 and 25th in the Pepsi 400 last year.
* Mears Notes: Mears begins his sophomore season in
the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series at Daytona. He ran in the NASCAR Busch
Series in 2002 before making the jump to the Cup Series. The 2004
season also marks the first year in his young NASCAR career that he will
return with the same crew chief, team and sponsor.
Casey Mears Quotes:
Thoughts on Daytona... "Daytona is the most exciting race of the
season," said Mears. "Your adrenaline is rushing from the minute you
get to the track until the checkered flag waves. There is so much
emphasis put on the Daytona 500 during the off-season that you want to
come here and run well. We had a great test session and a good finish
can set the tone for the season.
"I'm really excited about this season. Last year was a huge learning
experience for me, and I have much higher expectations for this season.
When I came to Daytona last year I thought I was mentally prepared for
what I was facing, but it is nothing like the feeling I have this year.
I have a lot more confidence in myself and this team. I think that
comes from the experience of knowing what to expect and what it takes to
be successful on and off the track.
"Jimmy (Elledge) and I have one year together under our belts and that
will make a huge difference. We spent a large portion of last season
learning how to communicate to each other. Chip (Ganassi) and Felix
(Sabates) have given me the opportunity to really showcase my talents,
and that's just what I intend to do."
con't...
Casey Mears Cumulative NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Record
Starts Wins Top 5 Top
10 Poles Winnings
36 0 0
0 0 $2,639,178
Career-Best Start: Fourth at Chicagoland Speedway on July 13, 2003
Career-Best Finish: 15th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2, 2003
Casey Mears Daytona International Speedway NASCAR Results
NEXTEL Cup
Date
Race
Start
Finish
Laps
Winnings
02/13/03
Gatorade 125's
12
15
50/50
$22,045
02/16/03
Daytona 500
29
27
109/109
$162,375
07/05/03
Pepsi 400
12
25
159/160
$85,639
Starts Wins Top 5
Top 10 Poles Winnings
3 0 0
0 0 $270,059
Busch Series
Date
Race
Start
Finish
Laps
Winnings
02/16/02
GNC Live Well 300
37
23
118/120
$32,745
07/05/02
GNC Live Well 250
28
16
100/100
$21,055
Starts Wins Top 5
Top 10 Poles Winnings
2 0 0
0 0 $53,800
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
Stephen Lane
Car Chief
Car Chief
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
David Gebhardt
Front Tire Changer
Mechanic
Wausau, Wisconsin
Billy Sutphin
Front Tire Carrier
Assembly
Leesburg, Virginia
Jason Sheets
Rear Tire Changer
Mechanic
Indianapolis, Indiana
Scott Myers
Rear Tire Carrier
No. 42 Shocks
Modesto, California
Jeff Price
Jack Man
No. 40 Shocks
Beallesville, MD
Les Huntley
Gas Man
Suspension Specialist
Renwick, Iowa
Todd Anderson
Catch Can Man
Chassis Setup
Jewell, Iowa
Doug Spees
Tire Specialist
Tire Specialist
Toledo, Ohio
Chris Morris
Spotter
Body Shop
Burlington, North Carolina
Tim Jones
Engine Specialist
Engine Specialist
Clemmons, North Carolina
Tim Smith
Engineer
Engineer
Cope, South Carolina
Eric Hoyle
Pit Support
Rear Mechanic
Asheville, North Carolina
Roger Parkinson
Pit Support
Shocks
San Diego, California
Jesse Sanders
Pit Support
Mechanic
Coupeville, Washington
Andy Taylor
Transport Driver
Transport Driver
Waycross, Georgia
David Krate
Scorer
Body Shop
Enfield, New Hampshire
