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Fuel-Mileage Call Propels Mears

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C. ? Casey Mears gambled and won Sunday night.

Crew chief Darian Grubb?s fuel-mileage call in the closing laps of the Coca- Cola 600 at Lowe?s Motor Speedway propelled the No. 25 National Guard Chevrolet into victory lane in NASCAR?s longest event.

Though it was Mears? first win in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, it extended the dominance of Hendrick Motorsports to nine victories in 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races this season.

?We were a third-place car, a fourth-place car at best, and that was the only way to win it,? said an elated Mears.

The top five finishers all stayed on the track while the front-runners pitted for splashes of fuel in the final 10 circuits, but Mears and Grubb believed they could finish the race without coming to pit road.

After he crossed the finish line, the engine in Mears? Chevy began to sputter on the cool-down lap.

J.J. Yeley finished second to post the best result of his career.

Kyle Petty, who won the 600 in 1987, ran third, followed by Reed Sorenson and Brian Vickers, who gave Toyota its best finish of the season.

Tony Stewart, who pitted from the lead for fuel on Lap 393 of 400, was sixth. Ricky Rudd was seventh, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, who lost the lead because of a lug nut
problem in the pits on Lap 338.

Thanks to Johnson?s problem, Stewart inherited the lead for a restart on Lap 342 and pushed his advantage to more than two seconds before coming to the pits for fuel. Earnhardt and Hamlin followed him to pit road on subsequent laps, as none of those drivers had enough fuel to finish the final 59-lap green-flag run.

Hendrick Motorsports has won nine of the past 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, and Chevrolet drivers have claimed victory in 11 of the 12 events this season.

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