Notes of Interest

●  With 491 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Casey Mears is just 9 shy of joining the exclusive 500 start club. Just 47 drivers in NASCAR history have eclipsed the mark, with the only active drivers being Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Michael McDowell. 

●  Mears won the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend in 2007. Of the roughly 3,000 drivers who have started NASCAR Cup Series races in the sport’s 77-year history, only 206 have ever won a race, placing Mears in elite company. 

●  Mears heads to Talladega with primary sponsorship from S.I. Yachts, one of the world’s oldest and largest dealers for both Viking Yachts and Valhalla Boatworks. S.I. Yachts is owned by the Germain Motor Company. After debuting with Mears at Martinsville in March and joining him again at Daytona in August, Acrisure will continue its partnership and is featured as a major associate sponsor.

●  In a sport steeped in history, the Germain family and Casey Mears share their own. Mears wheeled the No. 13 NASCAR Cup Series entry for Germain Racing from 2010 – 2016. He has remained close with his former boss, Bob Germain, making this a natural and nostalgic partnership. 

By the Numbers

● The No. 66 S.I. Yachts Ford Mustang is not the first car Mears has driven with the number 66. He previously wheeled the No. 66 Pioneer-WorldCom Honda-Reynard for Mo Nunn Racing in the CART FedEx Championship Series (now the NTT INDYCAR SERIES), and the No. 66 Phillips 66/Injex Chevrolet for Cicci-Welliver Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 

● In his 27 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the famed 2.66-mile, high-banked facility, Mears has completed 89% of his laps (4558 of 5122); an impressive feat at a track renowned for causing calamity in bulk on race day. 

● Mears has led 65 laps and earned $2,477,001 in total winnings at Talladega Superspeedway during his 16 year NASCAR Cup Series career.

● In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Talladega, the Bakersfield, California, native has led 52 laps and posted two top-5 finishes in only three starts. 

Casey Mears, Driver of the No. 66 S.I. Yachts Ford Mustang Dark Horse

You recently announced three more races with your former boss, Bob Germain, sponsoring the car. It has to feel good having his ongoing support.

Bob and I raced together for seven seasons and experienced success in building the team and on the track. To be able to continue collaborating means a lot. His commitment to me is appreciated, and I am grateful we are working together in chasing my goal of 500 NASCAR Cup Series starts. It’s really special having him play such a large part and I value this shared experience.   

You’ve experienced well-documented success at restrictor plate tracks. In August, you ran inside the top-15 at Daytona. What are your keys to success?

These restrictor plate tracks are unpredictable, at best, so patience is the key, and being able to predict what could happen in front of me. I closely watch the cars and if I see drivers getting aggressive, I try to make strategic moves to improve my position and avoid any potential issues. The goal is always to finish the race, so I’m focused on doing whatever it takes to make that happen, even if we need to drop to the rear of the field for a while until things settle down. We were able to run inside the top-15 at Daytona after overcoming some issues, so I’m excited to get on-track at Talladega and see what we have. Carl Long (team owner) and the Garage 66 crew have done a great job of putting the car together. 

Without a practice session on the Talladega schedule, how do you approach qualifying and the race? 

There was no practice at Daytona either, due to the weather, so we went into the race blind. It looks like Mother Nature will be generous to us for Cup qualifying on Saturday, so that will give us an opportunity to turn laps and get a sense of how the No. 66 S.I. Yachts Ford Mustang feels. From there, we will be able to craft a strategy and consider how we want to manage the race. I’ve done well on plate tracks over the course of my career, so I’m heading into the weekend with big goals. 

Casey Mears PR