Late-Race Gamble Nets Mears, Jack Daniel’s Chevy Top 15 at Pocono

Race/Date: Pocono 500 – June 7, 2009 - Location: Pocono Raceway – Long Pond, Pa. - Start Position: 21st
- Finish Position: 14th - Points Position: 21st (Maintained position)

LONG POND, Pa. – Casey Mears and the Jack Daniel’s Racing team parlayed a late-race gamble into a top-15 finish in Sunday’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway.

The solid result was Mr. Jack’s Crew’s second top-15 showing in the last two races. While Mears maintained 21st in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points, the Bakersfield, Calif., native is now just two points behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 20th.

With 12 races remaining before NASCAR’s 12-team playoff field is locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the 31-year-old driver is a slim 15 points behind Martin Truex Jr., who sits 19th and only 37 markers back from 18th-place Marcos Ambrose.

Rain washed out Friday afternoon’s qualifying session, forcing NASCAR to set the field by the rule book for the second time in the season’s first 14 races. By rule, Mears was afforded a starting spot on the inside of the 11th row for Sunday’s 500-miler based on the Jack Daniel’s Chevy’s 21st position in the Sprint Cup Series owner’s point standings heading into Pocono.

Despite Friday’s lack of on-track time, the Jack Daniel’s Chevy was solid in Saturday’s twin practices. Mears was eighth-quickest in the weekend’s first session and 16th-fastest in final practice.

Warm temperatures and partly cloudy skies greeted Pocono’s packed grandstand with the green flag waving just after 2:20 p.m. local time. Mears raced in and around the top 20 for the first half of the day but shifting track conditions forced Berrier to call for dramatic changes on pit road as the day progressed to keep up with the temperamental 2.5-mile race course.

The turning point for Mears & Co. came on lap 164 when Berrier called his driver to pit road to top off with fuel prior to the final restart. With 35 laps remaining in the 200-lap event, the veteran crew chief knew he’d need to rely on his driver to conserve the lap-and-a-half’s worth of fuel the team was short to go the distance.

Despite relinquishing valuable track position as a direct result of pitting, Mears began making up ground as the leaders began to pit for a final splash of fuel. As the closing laps clicked off, the seventh-year Sprint Cup veteran was able to stretch his fuel mileage and make it, with room to spare, and finish a respectable 14th.

Mears’ fellow Richard Childress Racing teammates Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick came home ninth, 12th and 24th, respectively.

Tony Stewart rode the fuel mileage strategy to his first points-paying victory of the season, beating Carl Edwards to the checkered flag by just over two seconds. David Reutimann finished third, Jeff Gordon was fourth and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the heart of the Midwest and Michigan’s picturesque Irish Hills.

The Lifelock 400 from Michigan International Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, June 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on TNT beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 15th stop on the 2009 schedule will be telecast live on SPEED Friday, June 12 at 3 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will broadcast qualifying updates live.

CASEY MEARS QUOTES

“When push came to shove, Todd made a good call to top off with fuel just before the last restart and we were able to turn the day into a top-15 finish for the Jack Daniel's team. Sometimes you have to gamble a little bit and this time it paid off. Todd and the crew never quit working on the car or coming up with ideas to make it better. They changed the right-rear spring and hooked up the rear bar on pit road and never lost a lap. They found a way to make it happen. It's pretty exciting to be part of a team like that.”