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DriverFor Casey Mears, the future is bright. Following a season full of memories, including a move to Hendrick Motorsports and his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, Mears has big plans for 2008. In his second year with team owner Rick Hendrick, Mears will drive the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet. He joins forces with one of NASCAR's rising stars, crew chief Alan Gustafson. Gustafson and the No. 5 team earned consecutive berths in the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" in 2006 and 2007, earning 10th- and fifth-place finishes, respectively. Mears, combined with the success of Hendrick Motorsports, Gustafson and the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST team, is hoping to write his name in the NASCAR history books. |
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Crew ChiefAlan Gustafson will mark his ninth year at Hendrick Motorsports by leading Casey Mears in his battle for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Gustafson started his career at the young age of 8 just miles from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. A racing legend, Smokey Yunick, took the young mechanic under his wing as Gustafson worked in Yunick's "Best Darn Garage in Town." In the years that followed, Gustafson grew to be a rising star as a NASCAR crew chief, earning four Sprint Cup victories and two consecutive berths in the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" with the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST team. |
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Team OwnerWhile on Tobacco Road, Hendrick's deep-seeded automotive passion led him to open a small used-car lot with Mike Leith, an established new-car dealer. The success of the venture soon convinced Leith to name Hendrick the general sales manager of his new-car import operation at the age of 23. In 1976, the 26-year-old Hendrick took a chance by selling off his assets to purchase a struggling franchise in Bennettsville, S.C., thus becoming the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the United States. His influence sparked a dramatic sales increase as the once-troubled location soon became the region's most profitable. Bennettsville's success was a precursor to the Hendrick Automotive Group, now encompassing more than 70 franchises and 5,000 employees from the Carolinas to California. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the company generated revenue upward of $4 billion in 2005 after selling 100,000 vehicles and servicing over one million cars. |
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Meet the guys who service the cars at the pit stop at every race. |
