Mears edges Truex Jr. for pole in Chicago
Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Casey Mears captured the pole for Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet circled the 1.5-mile oval in 29.580 seconds (182.556 m.p.h.), just 0.013 seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr.
The pole victory was Mears' first of the season and third of his Nextel Cup career. His last pole was at Indianapolis in 2004.
"It's a great day for the National Guard/GMAC team, the guys have been doing a great job," said Mears. "This is the car that we won Charlotte with so everyone is pretty pumped this weekend."
Truex Jr.'s time was 29.593 seconds (182.476 m.p.h.). Ryan Newman (29.595) and Mark Martin (29.622) will make up row two.
Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fifth), Jimmie Johnson (eighth), Matt Kenseth (10th), Jeff Gordon (11th), Denny Hamlin (13th) and Kevin Harvick (14th).
Gordon ended his Joliet, IL winless streak last July and climbed into the top-10. He has been in the top-10 ever since - 37 weeks. It is the second longest active streak in Nextel Cup behind the 44-week streak by Jeff Burton. (The all-time record is held by Dale Earnhardt - 174 weeks from 1986 - 1992.)
Gordon has been almost perfect in 2007 winning four times and posting 16 top-10s in 18 starts. Even after being penalized 100 points for a COT infraction, Gordon owns a 277-point lead over Hamlin. With just eight races left before the start of the "Chase for the Nextel Cup," Gordon can coast into the "playoffs." He is 733 points ahead of 12th-place Earnhardt Jr.
Also safely ensconced in the "Chase" are Hamlin, Kenseth, 2006 Nextel Cup champion Johnson, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards.
The final six playoff positions are being contested by 11 drivers. Currently, two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Daytona 500 winner Harvick, Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer and Earnhardt Jr. hold the positions. But Jamie McMurray, winner of last week's race in Daytona, is just 49 points back. The win was his first in 166 starts.
"That guy (McMurray) works as hard or harder than anybody down here; he deserves it," said Edwards, his teammate at Roush Racing.
Also within striking distance are Newman (-61), Kurt Busch (-121), Greg Biffle (-204) and J.J. Yeley (-236).
The race is scheduled to drop the green flag on Sunday at 4 p.m. (et).