Casey Mears will drive the #5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports in the 2008 Sprint Cup Series, joining a team that secured its second consecutive Chase for the Championship berth Sunday at California Speedway. In his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, Mears has notched one victory, a pole position, four top-five finishes and six top-10s through 25 races. The Bakersfield, Calif., native will complete the current schedule in the organization’s #25 Chevys before transitioning to the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team. The effort will be led by Alan Gustafson, 32, who has earned four wins, two poles, 25 top-five finishes and 45 top-10s since his first season as crew chief of the #5 Chevy in 2005. “My goal is to meet the high standard the drivers before me helped established with the #5 Chevrolet, both on and off the track,” said the 29-year-old Mears. “I’m looking forward to working with Alan and the team to continue the winning tradition for Kellogg’s, CARQUEST and Hendrick Motorsports.” Since its inception in 1984, the #5 Hendrick Motorsports team has posted 27 victories and 35 pole positions with just four different drivers — Geoff Bodine, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte and Kyle Busch. It has finished among the top 12 in Cup points in 17 of the past 23 seasons (1984-2006), including a championship in 1996. “The #5 was our first car (at Hendrick Motorsports), so, for me, there’s a lot of personal history in that team,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Casey has proven capable of winning and running up front, which is what the #5 has always been about. The goal is more victory lanes and championships for the team, and for Kellogg’s and CARQUEST.” The relationship between Kellogg Co. and the #5 Hendrick Motorsports team is one of the most enduring in NASCAR. Kellogg’s debuted as primary sponsor of the #5 Chevys in 1994 and has since earned a Cup Series title, 16 race wins, 89 top-five finishes and 170 top-10s.(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(9-4-2007)
