Target team take Pocono pit crew honours.

The pit crew for Casey Mears, which has been close many times in the McDonald's Drive-Thru Pit Championship fuelled by POWERade, can now lay claim to winning the weekly contest with a solid effort in Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway.

The victory, worth $20,000, was the third of the season for the Chip Ganassi Racing stable. Mears' teammates - the No. 40 team for Sterling Marlin and the No. 42 team for Jamie McMurray - also scored pit crew victories with Marlin's crew winning in Bristol and McMurray's in Charlotte.

Mears' crew gained five spots in the McDonald's/POWERade standings, moving from 17th into a tie for 12th. The No. 8 crew for Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues in first place with a 38-point margin over Elliott Sadler's team. In the first 14 races of 2003, the No. 8 crew has garnered two wins, nine top fives and 13 top 10s. The season champion receives a $200,000 bonus.

Mears' No. 41 Target Dodge spent the least amount of time on pit road in Pocono - 233.419 seconds. Kurt Busch's Irwin Ford followed with a time of 260.402. Earnhardt's Budweiser Chevy was third at 304.851.

"I am really proud of the guys," said Jimmy Elledge, crew chief for the 41 team. "Pit stops have never been our suit, but the Target guys have been working really hard during the week. This just proves that their hard work is paying off and we are getting the results that we've been striving for over the past year."

Mears' over-the-wall crew consists of: Dave Gebhardt (front-tyre changer), Marty Forcier (front-tyre carrier), Jason Sheets (rear-tyre changer), Scott Myers (rear-tyre carrier), Rick Reling (jackman), Les Huntley (gas man), Todd Anderson (catch can).

22 full-time NASCAR Nextel Cup teams compete for the McDonalds/Powerade pit crew Championship.