Texaco/Havoline Team Leave Bristol Eighth in Points after 25th-Place Finish
BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 26, 2006)
--- It wasn’t the rain, sleet or snow that dampened the day for the Texaco/Havoline team at Bristol Motor Speedway, but lapped traffic and typical short-track racing that relegated the No. 42 Dodge Charger to a 25th-place finish.
The weather did cause qualifying to be canceled on Friday, but Casey Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team were able to participate in the two practice sessions on Saturday. The No. 42 Dodge was consistent in both practices, giving the team hope heading into Sunday’s 500-mile race, with a 12th-place starting position.
The green flag waved for the Sharpie 500 and within half a lap the point leader had trouble. The first caution flag waved on lap 12 and Mears told crew chief Donnie Wingo the track had no grip. Racing resumed with the No. 42 Dodge in 11th. Over the course of the first 50 laps, several lead cars had tire problems, and Mears soon found himself in the ninth position. When the yellow flag was displayed on lap 72, Wingo called Mears down pit road for fresh tires and fuel.
The green flag dropped again on lap 77, but Mears was caught on the outside by lapped traffic. By the time spotter Tab Boyd found an opening down low, the preferred line around Bristol, Mears had slipped back to 15th. Wingo called Mears down pit road for fresh rubber during the next caution, while all the cars behind him did the same. Mears held his own in the Texaco/Havoline car while the team continued to adjust on it during pit stops for a tight condition.
The No. 42 car was sitting 15th at lap 200, and received its first blemish after a run in with the No. 49 car. When the caution flag waved on lap 217, Mears brought the Texaco/Havoline Dodge down pit road. The No. 42 crew pulled out the right-front fender, made an air pressure adjustment, changed four tires and added fuel. The extra time it took to make the repairs dropped Mears to 28th for the restart.
He worked his way up to 24th on lap 242 when the yellow was displayed yet again. The team continued to work on the car, but the day would only worsen on the next run. On lap 261, Mears, teammate Reed Sorenson and two other cars were involved in a crash. The No. 42 car received extensive damage, but was able to continue. After making two pit stops to repair the car under a short caution period, Mears found himself a half a lap behind the pack on the restart on lap 267.
Mears caught the tail end of the lead lap on lap 280. The caution waved on lap 287 and Wingo told Mears to remain on the track to get back up into the pack after running in the 28th position. When racing resumed on lap 293, the No. 42 Dodge was back up to 14th. The respite was shorted lived, because on lap 349 the No. 66 car hit the No. 19 car and sent him into Mears.
Mears brought the Texaco/Havoline Dodge down pit road on two different occasions during the caution period for tires, fuel and to have the sheet metal pulled off the tires. The handling on the car was significantly tougher following the second incident, and Mears was passed by the leader on lap 380.
The No. 42 team never gave up and continued to adjust on the car for Mears over the final 100 laps. As the on-track incidents continued and the attrition rate grew, the Texaco/Havoline’s team’s efforts moved Mears from 28th to 25th when the checkered flag waved.
The team remains inside the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Top 10 in points following its Bristol effort. Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team sit eighth, just 140 points behind the leader.
Mears’ Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates Reed Sorenson and David Stremme finished 22nd and 36th respectively.
The Texaco/Havoline crew head to Martinsville Speedway next weekend for the sixth race of the 2006 NEXTEL Cup season.
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