Casey Mears

Casey James Mears ( born March 12, 1978 in Bakersfield, California) is an American NASCAR driver. Casey Mears is the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and the son of Champ Car and off-road veteran Roger Mears. Besides his career in NASCAR, he went with three Champ Car race in 2001 as a replacement for Alex Zanardi at the start, after it has been injured in the American Memorial 500 on the Euro Speedway Lausitz.

His most important victory achieved Mears on 29 January 2006 at the 24 - hour race at Daytona along with Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon for Chip Ganassi Racing. They achieved a record for the fastest race in the class of Daytona prototype construction with 723 laps. Mears is the first full-time NASCAR driver who could win this race.

NASCAR Career

Mears celebrated his NASCAR debut in the Busch Grand National Series in 2001 at Homestead -Miami Speedway in the car with starting number 66 for Cicci - Welliver Racing. From 21 starting place he finished the race in 28th After the sale of the team to Wayne Jesel at the end of the year, Mears drove the entire next season for the team. With two results among the top 10 he was at the end of the season at No. 21 in the championship. As of the 2003 season he drove the Dodge with the start number 41 for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Nextel Cup. His rookie season he finished at No. 35 after he was able to land in the top 10 in any race. In the 2004 season he scored two pole positions with the car. During the 2005 season it was announced that Mears change to a different car from Chip Ganassi with Home123 as the main sponsor and Reed Sorensen would simultaneously assume the starting number 41. After the sponsorship deal with Home123 did not materialize, Mears moved into the car with starting number 42 by Chip Ganassi and replaced Jamie McMurray.

On 9 June 2006, announced that Mears would the end of the 2006 season, Chip Ganassi Racing leave and go for 2007 to Hendrick Motorsports to replace Brian Vickers. About a month later, on July 8, he won his first race in the Busch Series at Chicagoland Speedway, where he crossed the finish line in rolling out after the gasoline it was previously assumed.

Since the 2007 season, Mears drives the car with starting number 25 for Hendrick Motorsports with the Army National Guard and GMAC as the main sponsors. With this car he scored his first victory in the Nextel Cup on 27 May 2007 at the Coca- Cola 600 at Lowe 's Motor Speedway. Mears went five laps to go in, as most of the other drivers drove again for refueling in the pits. A few meters after crossing the finish line it was also in this race out of petrol. His first pole position for Hendrick Motorsports, he scored on 13 July 2007 at Chicagoland Speedway. At the end of the season, he finished 15th in the championship.

The 2008 season was less successful for Mears. After two top-5 results in the first five races, it was enough in the next race on a result in the top 20th On 4 July 2008, officially announced that the car is not driven with the number 5 from the 2009 season of Mears. Instead, Mark Martin will take over the car. He finished the 2008 season ranked 20th in the 2009 season, Mears drove a Chevrolet in the service of Richard Childress Racing. The season was not much better than the previous year. Mears stood at the end only ranked 21 overall.

Mears started the 2010 season with Keyed -Up Motorsports, but he succeeded with this team only once to qualify for a race. Since the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway, he represented Brian Vickers in the # 83 of Team Red Bull, Vickers because of illness fails to end of the season. However, Mears was below expectations and was after a few races replaced by Reed Sorenson.