History of Casey Mears in Timeline

Casey Mears is an American professional off-road and stock car racing driver, currently competing part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has extensive experience across various racing disciplines including IndyCar, NASCAR's national series (with 15 seasons in the Cup Series), SCORE International, and Stadium Super Trucks. Notably, Mears is a former winner of the Coca-Cola 600 and belongs to the prominent Mears racing family; he is the nephew of Rick Mears, a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and the son of Roger Mears, a veteran of IndyCar and off-road racing. He also serves as a NASCAR analyst for Fox Sports 1.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

March 12, 1978: Casey Mears Born

On March 12, 1978, Casey James Mears was born. He is an American professional off-road and stock car racing driver, and a member of the Mears racing family.

Others born on this day/year

1991: Began Racing Go-Karts

In 1991, Casey Mears began racing in go-karts for a season.

1992: Competed in SuperLites Off-Road Series

In 1992, Casey Mears began competing in the SuperLites Off-Road Series, achieving several top-three finishes.

1994: Finished Third in Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship

In 1994, Casey Mears moved to sprint cars and finished third in the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship, with a win at Mesa Marin Raceway.

1996: Dayton Indy Lights Debut

In 1996, Mears made his Dayton Indy Lights debut at the Cleveland Grand Prix and finished eighth.

1999: Finished Second in Indy Lights Championship

In 1999, Mears finished second in the Indy Lights championship, losing by 14 points, and became the fourth driver to complete every lap in a single season.

2000: First Indy Lights Race Win

In 2000, Casey Mears won his first Indy Lights race at the Grand Prix of Houston meeting in October.

2000: CART Series Debut

In October 2000, after testing Indy Cars, Mears debuted in the CART Series for Team Rahal at California Speedway, finishing fourth after leading 10 laps.

2001: NASCAR Busch Series Debut

In 2001, Mears made his NASCAR debut in the Busch Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving the No. 66 car for Cicci-Welliver Racing.

2001: IRL Events and Indy 500 Attempt

In 2001, Mears ran three IRL events, attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, but did not make it. He ended the season filling in for Alex Zanardi in Champ Car, with one top-10 finish.

2003: Selected by Chip Ganassi Racing

In 2003, Mears was selected by Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 41 Target Dodge in the NASCAR Cup Series. He also won three ARCA races for Ganassi, including sweeping both Pocono races.

2004: Two Poles in Cup Series

In 2004, Casey Mears drove the No. 41 Cup car for Ganassi for two additional seasons and won two poles.

2004: Fourth Place Finish at Watkins Glen

In 2004, Mears led late in the Sirius at the Glen race but was passed with 12 laps to go, finishing 4th.

2005: Near Win at Homestead

At Homestead in 2005, Casey Mears controlled the final 100 laps of the Ford 400, but a late yellow flag erased his lead, forcing a pit stop and costing him the win.

2005: Move to No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge

During the 2005 season, it was announced that Casey Mears would move to the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge for Ganassi, replacing Jamie McMurray after the Home123 sponsorship fell through.

June 6, 2006: Leaves Chip Ganassi Racing

On June 6, 2006, Mears announced his departure from Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of the season to join Hendrick Motorsports for the 2007 season.

July 8, 2006: First NASCAR Race Win

On July 8, 2006, Mears won his first NASCAR race, a Busch Series race at Chicagoland Speedway, coasting to the finish after running out of fuel.

2006: Career Best Finish Daytona 500

In 2006, Mears started off the season with a then-best career finish of 2nd at the Daytona 500, passing Ryan Newman at the line as Jimmie Johnson won.

May 27, 2007: Coca-Cola 600 Win

On May 27, 2007, Mears won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, his first and only Nextel Cup victory, securing the win with a fuel gamble.

2007: Joins Hendrick Motorsports

For the 2007 season, Mears joined Hendrick Motorsports, driving the No. 25 Hendrick Chevrolet.

August 23, 2008: Joins Richard Childress Racing

On August 23, 2008, Mears was announced as the driver of Richard Childress Racing's No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Impala SS.

2008: Released by Hendrick Motorsports

In 2008, Mears moved to the No. 5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevrolet Impala but was released by Hendrick after going winless.

October 21, 2009: Crew Chief Change at RCR

On October 21, 2009, it was announced that Mears would be getting his third crew chief of the season starting at Talladega with Doug Randolph taking over as the crew chief on the No. 07.

2009: Shares No. 2 Gentleman Jack Pontiac-Crawford

In 2009, Casey Mears shared the No. 2 Gentleman Jack Pontiac-Crawford with Andy Wallace, Rob Finley, and Danica Patrick. The team experienced electrical and handling problems during the race and finished eighth.

2009: Best Points Finish Since 2009

In 2013, Mears finished 24th in points, his best since driving for RCR in 2009.

January 20, 2010: Joins Key Motorsports

On January 20, 2010, it was announced that Mears would drive the No. 90 Key Motorsports Chevrolet.

April 27, 2010: Drives for Tommy Baldwin Racing

Beginning on April 27, 2010, Mears briefly became the driver for Tommy Baldwin's No. 36 team.

May 13, 2010: Temporary Replacement Driver for Team Red Bull

On May 13, 2010, Mears was announced as the temporary replacement driver for the No. 83 Team Red Bull at Dover, replacing a sick Brian Vickers.

June 27, 2010: Returned to TBR at New Hampshire

Mears returned to TBR beginning with the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2010, where he finished 29th, only two laps down.

August 2010: Drives for Germain Racing

It was announced in August 2010 that Mears would drive the No. 13 GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing for the remainder of the 2010 season and all of the 2011 season.

2011: Continues with Germain Racing

Casey Mears was slated to continue to drive the No. 13 GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing for the 2011 season.

2011: Finished 31st in Driver Points

In 2011, Mears finished 31st in driver points.

January 6, 2012: GEICO Signs Two-Year Deal

On January 6, 2012, GEICO signed a two-year deal with Mears and Germain. Germain also switched to Ford from Toyota, gaining technical support from Roush Fenway Racing.

August 24, 2012: Won Pole at Irwin Tools Night Race

On August 24, 2012, Mears won the pole for the Irwin Tools Night Race due to qualifying being rained out.

February 21, 2013: GEICO Sponsors Mears and Germain Full-Time

On February 21, 2013, GEICO announced that they were sponsoring Mears and Germain full-time for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

2014: GEICO Sponsors Mears and Germain Full-Time

For the 2013 and 2014 seasons, GEICO sponsored Mears and Germain full-time.

2014: Fined for Fight with Marcos Ambrose

In 2014, Mears began the season with a 10th-place finish in the Daytona 500. At Richmond, Mears got into a fist-fight with Marcos Ambrose and was later fined $15,000 and put on probation for one month.

July 14, 2015: Signed Contract Extension with Germain and GEICO

On July 14, 2015, it was announced that Mears had signed a contract extension with Germain and GEICO for 2016.

November 12, 2015: GEICO Extends Partnership

On November 12, 2015, GEICO announced that it had extended its partnership with Mears and Germain Racing through the 2018 season, and Mears extended his contract with the team through 2018 as well.

2015: Final Year with Germain and GEICO

In 2015, Mears returned to Germain for what was to be the final year of both his and GEICO's contracts with the team, he finished 6th at Daytona and 15th at Atlanta.

November 28, 2016: Ty Dillon to Replace Mears

On November 28, 2016, Germain announced that Ty Dillon would replace Mears in the No. 13 starting in 2017.

2016: Signed Contract Extension with Germain and GEICO

On July 14, 2015, it was announced that Mears had signed a contract extension with Germain and GEICO for 2016.

January 2017: Tests Stadium Super Truck

In January 2017, Casey Mears tested a Stadium Super Truck, a series owned by Robby Gordon, which are similar to the stadium trucks raced by Mears' father. In December, he debuted at the Lake Elsinore Diamond rounds, finishing fifth in the feature race after failing to qualify for the first race's main event.

February 20, 2017: Joins Biagi-DenBeste Racing

On February 20, 2017, Mears announced he would drive the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Biagi-DenBeste Racing in the Xfinity Series for 12 races.

2017: Ty Dillon to Replace Mears

On November 28, 2016, Germain announced that Ty Dillon would replace Mears in the No. 13 starting in 2017.

2018: Signed Contract Extension with Germain and GEICO

On November 12, 2015, GEICO announced that it had extended its partnership with Mears and Germain Racing through the 2018 season, and Mears extended his contract with the team through 2018 as well.

2019: Debuts in SCORE International's Baja 1000

In 2019, Casey Mears entered desert racing, debuting in SCORE International's Baja 1000. He co-drove the No. 42 Ford Raptor trophy truck with Doug Fortin. Despite engine issues caused by hitting a mud puddle, the Mears–Fortin duo finished 28th overall and 12th in the Trophy Truck class.

2019: Participates in SST Race Weekend

In 2019, Casey Mears participated in the SST race weekend at Honda Indy Toronto. He later ran the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course weekend, finishing second in the Friday round.

2019: Return to Cup Series with Germain

In 2019, Mears returned to the Cup Series with Germain, driving the No. 27 Chevrolet at the Daytona 500. He started and finished 40th after an early-race accident.

2021: Returns to Baja 1000

In 2021, Casey Mears returned to the Baja 1000, co-driving the No. 77 trophy truck with Robby Gordon. The opportunity arose after they met at Roger Mears' Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Mears and Gordon finished 13th overall and seventh in class.

2023: Returns to Cup Series with MBM Motorsports

In 2023, after a five-year absence, Casey Mears returned to the NASCAR Cup Series with MBM Motorsports and their Cup entry "Garage 66" at the Cook Out 400, finishing 35th.