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Late-Race Spin Drops Mears to 26th at Phoenix International Raceway
AVONDALE, AZ (November 12, 2006) --- Casey Mears and the Texaco/Havoline team were poised for a top-15 finish at Phoenix International Raceway when the car spun with just seven laps to go. Mears drove through fluid dropped by another car that sent him spinning into the outside wall. The team was able to repair the car and stay on the lead lap, but Mears dropped from running 15th to finishing 26th. Mears also slipped one spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship standings to 15th following the race in the desert.
"We struggled with the handling of the Texaco/Havoline Dodge all day," said Mears. "I could not get it to turn at all. The guys made every change we could think of, but it just wouldn't help. We were still going to get a decent finish out of it today, but I got into some fluid that was dropped on the track and lost control of the car. It's unfortunate because the guys worked hard to get where we were."
Mears started 312-lap event from the 17th position. He radioed crew chief Donnie Wingo early on that the car was really tight in the center and had no grip at all. He slipped back to the 20th position by lap 20. The first 67 laps were run caution free when NASCAR waved the yellow flag for debris. Mears brought the Texaco/Havoline Dodge down pit road for a trackbar and an air pressure adjustment as well as four tires and fuel. Racing resumed on lap 76 with Mears in the 19th position.
Mears continued to struggle with the handling of his Dodge Charger. He remained in the 19th position when the caution flag was displayed on lap 149. He pitted for additional adjustments on lap 151 and fresh tires. The Texaco/Havoline crew picked up two spots in the pits moving Mears to 17th for the restart on lap 157. The adjustments did not seem to help the handling of the car, as Mears told Wingo it would not turn at all in the center.
Mears was able to maintain his track position, but couldn't gain any ground on the leaders. When the caution waved on lap 186, Wingo decided to add a spring rubber to the right rear while fitting the car with fresh tires. The green flag waved on lap 195 with the Texaco/Havoline Dodge sitting 23rd. Mears was still unable to get the car to turn, but continued to run in the 22nd position trading positions with the No. 88 car. On lap 226, a spinning car brought out the caution flag again. Mears pitted on lap 227 for four tires, fuel and a trackbar adjustment.
Mears told Wingo and the team the car felt a little better, but was still tight. The team adjusted on the car over the next few caution periods, including when most of the field remained on the track but Mears came in for a pit stop on lap 266. When racing resumed on lap 271, Mears was now back in 26th. A multi-car wreck brought out the caution flag again on lap 272 and Wingo told Mears to remain on the track. The green-flag waved on lap 281 for the restart with the Texaco/Havoline Dodge in 17th. Mears drove up to the 15th position on lap 284.
The No. 88 car spun and hit the wall on lap 290 and Mears remained on the track. He was running in the 15th position through lap 304 when the team’s fortune would change for the worse. The No. 07 was billowing smoke, which the team thought was tire smoke, and NASCAR told the driver to pull off the track. Unfortunately, it was not tire smoke and the No. 07 car dropped fluid on the track that Mears drove through. The Texaco/Havoline Dodge spun and made contact with the outside wall. Mears pitted on lap 307, but NASCAR red flagged the race. The crew was able to inspect the damage to determine what needed to be fixed once the yellow flag was displayed.
The crew immediately went to work on the car and pulled out the left front fender while changing all four tires. The team was able to repair the damage in time to keep Mears on the lead lap. He finished the race in the 26th position, the final car on the lead lap.
Mears' Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates teammates David Stremme and Reed Sorenson finished 18th and 29th respectively. Mears now sits 15th in the standings heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.
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