Optimism fuels Casey Mears' No. 5 team

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 4, 2008) – On the surface, Casey Mears’ seventh-place finish at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway appeared simply to be a much-needed boost for the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet team. But really, it was more than that. In those 500 short-track laps, Mears and his No. 5 team relived small portions of their season. There was the rough start -- this time a 39th-place qualifying position. And then there was a potentially disastrous moment -- note the wreck on Lap 295 that knocked the Chevrolet out of its top-10 position to the back of the field. Each instance could have gnawed at the team’s confidence. But it didn’t. That’s because to this squad, setbacks are simply speed bumps. And nothing is affecting the Kellogg’s/CARQUEST team’s positive attitude. Mears, currently 27th in the driver standings, is shooting for another top-10 this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The optimistic and determined mindset is something the team has embraced as a result of early frustrations. In the first two races of the season, the team ran well, but was unable to finish because of wrecks. When the second one happened at California Speedway, the team’s confidence was sagging. But lead mechanic Mike Senyitko refused to let the doubt take hold. He flipped his ballcap inside out and issued a rally cry to his comrades. His enthusiasm was contagious, and hours after the team’s second straight DNF of the season, the crew members were boarding the plane, wearing rally caps and smiles. That energy hasn’t faded, and since that day, no one on the team is discouraged easily. Expectations are still high. “We had a lot of obstacles to overcome,” race engineer Chris Heroy said. “But we’ve already been through difficult situations so people keep level heads and work through it. We’re looking forward to what we can do in the next couple of races.” The team’s goals haven’t changed, but the approach will be considerably different. Crew chief Alan Gustafson said his team still wants to win races and make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Mears will just drive more conservatively, and the pit strategy will shift slightly. “We still want to make the Chase,” Gustafson said. “Realistically you know that’s a little tougher of a challenge now. I don’t think it’s unattainable or out of grasp, but we’ve got a few more things to overcome and less margin for error. That’s the biggest difference. We have to be on our game 100 percent. And that’s fine. I think we’re very capable of doing that.”