Casey Mears and the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg's team finished 26th in Sunday's Brickyard 400 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The news of the day, however, was tire wear, as NASCAR officials were forced to call six "competition" cautions throughout the 160-lap event.

"There was nothing fun about today's race," Mears said. "It wasn't the best situation, but NASCAR, teams and Goodyear all worked together to make it the best possible situation.

"The CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet was really good. We just never got a good amount of laps to see how good it could be. Clean air would have made all the difference, but there was no way you could miss a pit stop to gain track position today."

During Saturday morning's qualifying session, the CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet got loose in turn 2, diminishing the speed the Chevy carried into the backstretch. Mears would line up 31st for Sunday's race.

In the practice sessions that followed qualifying, tire wear became a concern. Unlike in years past at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track was not taking on rubber. Instead, the track surface was grinding the rubber off of the tires and pulverizing it into a powdery dust. Most cars only completed six or seven laps before their right side tires were completely worn out.

As Sunday's race neared, NASCAR and Goodyear worked to find a solution. Goodyear's short-term answer was to have the tires marked for the event at Pocono Raceway shipped to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That way teams would have plenty of tires if they ran out during the 400-mile event at the 2.5-mile oval.

NASCAR planned for a competition caution on lap 10, but rescheduled for lap 14 after a two-car accident occurred on lap 3. The caution would occur a lap early – on lap 13 – after two cars collided due to a cut tire. The CARQUEST/Kellogg's team performed its first pit stop during this caution period, giving the No. 5 Chevy four tires and a track bar adjustment. The teams were not allowed to add fuel during this stop. Mears rejoined the field in 29th place.

NASCAR planned for the next competition caution on lap 32. Several teams, including Hendrick Motorsports' No. 88, experienced tire issues before that, though. On lap 29, the right rear tire of the No. 42 exploded on the front stretch, sending debris into the catch fence and prompting the caution flag.

Mears once again entered pit road. The No. 5 Chevy took four tires, fuel and received a track bar adjustment. Mears reported that the Chevy was growing looser the more laps it ran, which was linked to the right rear tire losing grip. When the race resumed on lap 35, Mears was in 22nd place.

After the first three laps, the right rear tire immediately lost grip. Mears continued to lose positions as the run went on. On lap 49, he reported that the Chevy had acquired a severe vibration just as the caution flag waved – the No. 17 had cut its right rear tire.

During this pit stop, the team inserted a left rear spring rubber to help negate the wear on the right rear tire. The adjustment did the trick, and Mears reported that the tire wear lasted longer in the following run. But it also made the CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet a tick too tight.

The race continued with NASCAR issuing competition cautions after nearly every 12-lap green-flag run. The handling of the CARQUEST/Kellogg's Chevrolet was nearly perfect throughout the race, prompting the team to make four-tire pit stop changes only throughout the last half of the race.

Without a lengthy green-flag run, however, Mears did not have the chance to move through the field as the team would have liked. For the team's ninth and final pit stop, Gustafson called for right-side tires only, hoping to gain track position for the final 10 laps. The decision helped, and the team gained four positions to finish 26th.

Mears and the No. 5 team are now 25th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship standings.

Mears' Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson earned his second Brickyard 400 victory.

The tire issues throughout Sunday's race are being investigated by both NASCAR and Goodyear.

The Kellogg's/CARQUEST team next will next compete Sunday, August 3 at Pocono Raceway. The race will air live on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.