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Mears Finishes 22nd in Texas, Now 26th Among Drivers Casey Mears and the Cheez-It/CARQUEST team finished 22nd in Sunday's (April 6) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
The team advanced two positions to 27th in point standings, while Mears moved to 26th in the driver standings. The No. 5 team struggled to adjust the ill-handling Chevrolet throughout Sunday's race, thwarting the team's attempt at back-to-back top-10 finishes. "Today was just rough," Mears said. "I know these guys worked so hard to make the Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet perfect today. Unfortunately, the car had a mind of its own. I felt like it was driving me half the time. I have no idea why all of the adjustments and changes we made throughout the race didn't help." During Friday's practice session, the No. 5 Chevy turned in consistently fast laps and ended the day eighth on the speed chart. But Mears, who qualified following Michael McDowell's accident, only ran fast enough to claim the 22nd spot in the starting lineup. On Saturday, the Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevrolet was extremely tight throughout both practice sessions. The team, however, had time to make adjustments and prepare the car fully for Sunday's 500-mile race. When the race began, the Chevy went back to its wicked ways. By lap 13, the front grip already was fading, and Mears was unable to drive the high side of the track at all. The team was able to make extreme adjustments during the first pit stop on lap 30. Ten laps later, the car was once again bordering on "out of control." Following a long green-flag run, the team fell one lap down to the leaders. Twenty laps later, however, the race's second caution occurred and Mears earned the "lucky dog" award. Following a stop for further adjustments to aid the now extremely tight Chevrolet, Mears rejoined the field in 22nd place. The changes helped the car this time, and Mears quickly reported that the Chevy was "much easier to drive" during the green flag run. Two pit stops later, Mears was 19th. While nearing lap 200, the handling of the Chevrolet once again faded. Again, the Cheez-it/CARQUEST Chevy was extremely tight. On lap 229, while running 22nd, Mears fell a lap down to the leader. The No. 5 team continued to make adjustments throughout four more pit stops. The handling of the Chevy never improved, however. Mears finished the race two laps down in the 22nd position. The Sprint Cup Series moves to Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. It airs live on FOX-TV at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. |
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