This is NOT Casey Mears! This is a Casey Mears Fan Site.
Casey Mears driver of the HMS National Guard Gmac Chevrolet MOnte Carlo SS.
On the heels of his most successful season at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series level, Casey Mears is ready to make the next step in his young career.That next step is Hendrick Motorsports.In 2007, Mears will pilot the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports during his fifth season on the NEXTEL Cup circuit. He also will drive 22 races in the No. 24 National Guard Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series.The names Hendrick and Mears are synonymous with success throughout the racing community. To date, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 10 championships in NASCAR’s top three divisions, including a 4 time Champion Jeff Gordon and the 2006 NEXTEL Cup Series Championship with driver Jimmie JohnsonMears, by comparison, grew up watching and learning from some of the best. His dad Roger was an off-road racing superstar, and his uncle, Rick Mears, won the Indianapolis 500 four times.“For as long as I can remember, my dad and uncle have been my racing heroes,†Mears said. “I grew up watching them race all over the place, and I saw how much they loved it. It was a contagious feeling in our family.â€Career History: Starting Out1982-1994Mears began his motorsports career in 1982 at the age of four. He started out racing BMX bicycles and then ATVs at his hometown speedway in Bakersfield, Calif.Mears transitioned to go-kart racing in 1991 and jumped to the SuperLites Off-Road Series in 1992, where he notched a couple of top-three finishes. Soon after his successful SuperLites season, Mears stepped up to compete in the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship and took home a victory at Mesa Marin Raceway. He eventually finished third in the series.1995-1999In 1995, Mears improved on the previous season and captured the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship. He made his Indy Lights debut in 1996 at the Cleveland Grand Prix and finished eighth. By 1997, Mears was competing full time in the Indy Lights Championship Series and looking to challenge for a title.Mears had an impressive year in the Indy Lights Series in 1999. He became only the fourth driver at the time to complete every lap in a single season. He also scored 11 top-10, eight top-five and four podium finishes, including runner-up placements at both Milwaukee and Michigan. He completed the season second overall, only 14 points shy of the championship.2000-2002In 2000, Mears won the Grand Prix of Houston and began testing Indy cars for multiple teams. In October, he was offered a chance to drive a third entry for Team Rahal in the CART Series at California Speedway. He qualified 15th, led 10 laps and finished fourth in his CART debut.Next, Mears ran three races in the Indy Racing League in 2001. He finished the season as a replacement for the injured Alex Zanardi and the Morris Nunn CART team. In those four CART starts, Mears posted one top-10 finish.In 2002, Mears faced a difficult decision. After driving for a NASCAR-affiliated team in the final ARCA Series stock car race of 2001, he had the opportunity to drive in both stock and open wheel cars. Mears looked for advice about his future from his father and uncle, and decided that NASCAR held the best opportunities.From Open-Wheel To Stock CarsIn only five years on the NASCAR circuit, Mears has shown steady improvement behind the wheel of a stock car, and his potential for future success is widely recognized throughout the sport.2002Mears competed in the NASCAR Busch Series full time in 2002, driving the No. 66 Dodge entry. He finished in the top five once, while also securing seven top-15 finishes during his first season behind the wheel of a stock car.2003During his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series rookie season in 2003, Mears competed in all 36 races for Chip Ganassi Racing. He ended the season with five top-20 finishes and placed 35th overall in the point standings.Mears also drove 13 races in the Busch Series, scoring one pole and three top-10 finishes, and ran four ARCA races. Mears won three of those events, giving him his first victory in a stock car.2004The 2004 racing season marked continued improvement for Mears. While tallying one top-five and nine top-10 finishes in the NEXTEL Cup Series, he also competed in 17 NASCAR Busch Series events, including the race at California Speedway. He captured the pole and went on to earn a career-best finish of second.Mears’ consistent performance in 2004 earned him his first career top-five Cup Series finish at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. In keeping with family tradition, he also captured the pole position in track-record time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 6, 2004. Rick Mears won six Indianapolis 500 poles during his open-wheel career.Additionally, Mears won his first career pole just one week earlier at Pocono Raceway, making him the first driver since 1964 to post his first two career NEXTEL Cup poles in consecutive races.2005The 2005 NEXTEL Cup season was something of a rollercoaster ride for the Bakersfield, Calif., native. He watched two potential victories at Texas and Homestead slip away after late-race cautions. However, Mears ended the season on a high note with three top-five and nine top-10 finishes for the year, including five top-10s in the final nine races.2006Mears turned that late-season momentum from 2005 into a fast start in 2006. He became the first full-time NASCAR driver to be part of a winning Grand American Rolex 24 team and finished second to now-teammate Jimmie Johnson in the prestigious Daytona 500. In July 2006, Mears won his first career NASCAR race at Chicagoland Speedway in Busch Series competition.Mears finished the 2006 NEXTEL Cup season a career-best 14th in the final point standings, with two top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
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