Mears has an outside shot at the Chase

Even though he's 19th in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series standings, Casey Mears still thinks he has a shot to make the Chase.
An outside shot.
He's coming off a 35th-place finish after he got caught up in a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and dropped two places in the Cup standings. But Mears has two factors in his favor. He races for Hendrick Motorsports, which has three of its four drivers in the top 12 and Chase contenders, and he won the Coca-Cola 600 in May.
"Last week was disappointing for us, but we've still got an outside shot at making the Chase if we can get strong finishes in each of the next six races," Mears said. "Our goals haven't changed. We come to the track to win. And if we don't have a car that can win, we want a top-five. If we're not quite good enough for a top-five, we want that top-10. It's about getting the best finish you can every week."
The next race for the Cup drivers is at Pocono Raceway. In the rain-shortened June 10 race, Mears finished fourth. Races at Watkins Glen International and Michigan International Speedway follow the Pocono race.
"I feel good about the tracks coming up on the schedule," said Mears, driver of the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "There are a number of places I feel like I've really improved as a driver over the years, and I think our testing efforts are going to help us out, especially at a place like Watkins Glen. There is definitely an opportunity for us to have a good stretch and make up some points."