Mears at Phoenix

In the first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race with the Car of Tomorrow, Casey Mears finished 10th. It was at Bristol Motor Speedway last month and one of the best races of the year for Mears.
The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams will be using the Car of Tomorrow this weekend for the Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. The car Mears will be driving is one that has never been in a race before. He tested it at Richmond International Raceway earlier this month.
"Bristol and Martinsville are so short that, mechanically, the Impala SS wasn't too terribly different from our other cars and where we used to be," said Mears, driver of the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "But when we get to a place like Phoenix where we actually start seeing some speed, that's when the downforce of these cars is going to start coming into effect. The downforce on the Impala SS is a lot different than on the Monte Carlo. And because Phoenix is a combination of mechanics and aerodynamics, we'll get a chance to see how these cars work in traffic."