'08 Rear-View Mirror: Casey Mears

Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: Casey Mears
Team: No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
'08 Final Standing: 20th (-3157)
Best Race: Toyota/Save Mart 350 (5th-place)
Worst Race: California & Bristol (42nd-place)

Season in a box: Mears picked up a win and finished out the 2007 season on note that looked like he might finally break the mold of the "fourth driver" at Hendrick Motorsports not performing like the rest of the team. Instead, by the middle of 2008, Mears found himself searching for a ride in 2008 after getting dropped by the team.

2008 just never started right for Mears as a 35th-place finish on the season-opening Daytona 500 started a six-race run that saw him finish lower than 35th three times, with a best finish of 13th at Las Vegas. The season took a glimmer of hope at Martinsville with a 7th-place finish, but five more races of 26th-or worse finishes started to take a toll on a team that was needing to perform.

And so, ironically enough, after Mears' best finish of 2008 with his 5th-place run on the road course at Infineon, Hendrick released the California driver effective at the end of 2008.

Eight of his final 11 races saw some marginal improvement in the team with finishes 15th or better, but that news was only good for Richard Childress Racing after they signed Mears to a fourth-car at the team in 2009.

Through the crystal windshield: Casey Mears is a solid Sprint Cup driver that, in my opinion, has never had the complete package around him. Sure, you could argue that even the lowest team at Hendrick Motorsports should be able to legitimately compete for a handful of race wins each year, but Mears was only his 2nd season at the team.

Hopefully, Richard Childress can provide Mears with a stable team that has uniformity year in and year out so we can find out if Mears can live up to what many believe his potential in NASCAR can be. However, a shot at RCR will likely be the last big chance Mears has to make a name for himself in NASCAR racing.

Next up: Brian Vickers

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-15-2008 @ 6:34PM

CJ said...

Mears needs to be calling the Petty's for distracting Bobby from getting this ride, cause it was Bobby's as he was i guarantee the top candidate for that ride. I think Mears has never had it and i just dont understand how this guy has gotten this far in the Sprint Cup series. I thought that Ganassi was completely idiotic for keeping him past one season, then when Hendrick replaced Vickers with him, i thought this is the most absurd thing i'd ever heard, and RCR i lost alot of respect for in signing Mears when id rather have seen Bobby or even Stephen Leicht than to see Mears, who only has a ride because of his last name and he just needs to go to open wheel or whatever, just get out of Nascar, he's a waste.

2-24-2009 @ 2:56PM

Kera said...

What the heck are you talkin about Casey gets his ride just because of his last name Yeah freakin right HE works hard to get where he goes. I just dont understand where you think he a waste? hes the most respected guy on the track he dont treat people like there nothin like ummm JEFF GORDON! and you say you lost alot of respect to RCR? Well they have faith in him and you will see what kind of talent Casey has.

Just because he dont win all the time dont mean he aint nothing you always see him in the top 5 or 10 unless someone wrecks him when hes running up front all day.

SOO JUST MIND YOU BUSINESS AND PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DRIVER AND DONT WORRY ABOUT WHAT CASEY'S DOING.THANK YOU..

Oh yeah what makes you think bobby is better then Casey dont get me wrong i like bobby but Caseys always doin/running better then him?????????

12-17-2008 @ 6:01PM

Are you kidding me? Mears is better than Bobby? Are you nuts, cause that's apparent! Casey Mears has won one race in six seasons, and Bobby Labonte has won 21 races in his career! Bobby is a past champion and how many has Mears competed for? Oh yea, that's right, NONE! And Mears has been with the best organization in the sport the past two seasons and Bobby's been in much inferior equipment and i dont see Bobby tearing his stuff up as much as Mears! And most the time i see, Mears is usually taken himself out! And Bobby didnt get fired from Petty's, he left, can Mears say that? I think your just sour grapes cause the truth hurts and Mears was outted for a much better driver with Mark Martin!

12-17-2008 @ 9:37PM

Casey always messing his stuff up?? please I dont see him messing his stuff up like kyle busch or bobby. Just because he has not competed for the championship doesnt mean he has'nt got the talent and besides Casey has been moved team to team over the years he hasnt gotten a fair shot and you know it just because for some stupid reason you dont like Casey you dont have to go againts the truth because YOU know he hasnt gotten a fair shot there always moving something around on him like crew cheifs. So please mind your business and worry about your driver and dont worry about what Casey does.

anyways Bobby might had won 21 races but these past couple of years how many has he won??? or how good has he done over the past couple of Years?

And oh yeah EVERYTIME YOU see Casey wreck its always another driver takin him out like Jaun and waltrip and Sadler and the list can go on and on and you freakin know it.

ive got a question why dont you like Casey? he has not done no wrong hes the most nicest driver ever hes always signs for his fans EVERY WEEKEND do you see any other driver sign for there fans every weekend?

And from what ive read about bobby leaving he was asked to leave because they wasnt running many races. So get you story sraight before you start writing things.

Im done messing with you YOUR A WASTE OF MY TIME.

you will see what kind of talent Casey has over theses years to come you will see.PEACE

12-18-2008 @ 10:02AM

First off, yes Casey was fired, as he should've been, from Hendrick and was moved around alot, but he also was given a ride this past year with a crew chief, Alan Guftason, who had proved that he could build a car to make the Chase, as he had the previous two years with Kyle Busch behind the wheel of the five ride, and it was proven equipment and if Casey was so talented as you like to imagine, he would've been able to do the same this year, but no suprise to alot of people, he didnt! And as far as when he moved previously from Ganassi, that was his own doing because for some stupid reason, Ganassi wanted to keep him, but Casey opted out to leave, and he was supposedly having chemistry with his crew chief then, Donnie Wingo, who i think is a great crew chief, but Mears bailed on the Havoline dodge and him in 2006, so that's his fault. And while at Ganassi, he worked with Jimmy Elledge who in a short time really helped AJ Allmeindinger improve and i think will make strong gains with Scott Speed this coming year, but again, when you are working with a nobody like Mears, you can only do so much!
Apparently, you didnt hear what i said about Bobby, he's been in much inferior equipment than everyone else the last few years. Although he could've made some wiser choices and had much better options after him, even moreso than Mears, he tried to help restore the Petty's legacy and only failed because of the petty's, not because of him, he could only do so much with the crap he was driving!
Mears has no place in stockcars. They need to stick to open wheel, cause all they know how to do is tear fenders off! And by the way, Mears wrecked Waltrip and himself and i dont blame Mikey for going again and getting payback on Mears, Casey deserved it! And ive NEVER seen Elliott Sadler take out anybody and it's Casey who took out his own teammate Dale Jr at California! Face the truth Mears cant drive, get in touch with reality!

12-18-2008 @ 1:17PM

What is this? Bashing Casey Mears week. First off, I said I like Bobby and he is a good driver. You apparently have something against Casey Mears, if you would get your nose out of your butt and go and see Casey when he signs (which is all the time), you would realize that he is a good guy, fan friendly and a all around nice guy.

Secondly, if you would listen to his scanner conversation, you would know that 3 of the wrecks that had happen with him (ie. Waltrip) was his spotter's fault, telling him clear when he was not.

Thirdly, Alan Gustafson did not make Kyle Busch, Kyle is an awsome driver and can drive anything which he has proven. Alan admitted that Kyle likes his car very loose, which alot of people cannot and wiil not drive like that. So, when he would set up Casey's car he would set them up very loose,and not listen to Casey's set up style. And with Jimmy Elledge, him and Casey are good friends and worked very well together,but Ganassi organization is not a winning organazation, so why stay when you have other opportunities.

Fourth, Richard Childress is a very smart respectful man. He does not have one car testing things for the other team members as Hendrick has always been known for (listen to the old drivers that used to race for him has said).

So study some facts before bashing a genuine nice guy before talking. You do not have a clue where he has came from and where he is going, and what he has been through.

If we all were fans of the same driver then racing would not be fun. Get a grip on reallity.

12-18-2008 @ 9:52PM

Nice guys dont deserve rides, guys with talent do! I really dont like Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, or Jeff Gordon, but they've shown the talent that it takes to be in the Cup series and what it takes to win races and compete for championships, and when in the hell has Casey ever done that at any point in his Nascar career? NEVER! Nice guys dont deserve rides, Talented guys do!
Second off, of course Mears is going to sign autographs, it's easy to do when you have no more than five people wanting it! Real drivers with talent such as Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, and Dale Jr have so many it's hard to get to them all! That's why they have the huge lines waiting for them, ive been to several races and Mears line, when i've seen him which is very rarely, does he have a whole lot of people waiting for him, absolutely not!
As far as RCR hiring him, it's pretty apparent he was one of the last options for a free market that once Bobby Labonte, Truex, Biffle and Tony Stewart were off the table, you're really scraping the bottom and that's where Mears was waiting! And what's even funnier is that Cheerios didnt want him either, RCR had to do some moving around and they had to give the owner points to Mears cause it's pretty apparent he couldnt get a car with no guaranteed top 35 owner points moved in, and that Bowyer was a better option to do that, i know I wouldnt have the faith in Mears to do so, but again i wouldnt of hired him in the first place!
And dont question my knowledge of Nascar, ive been into the sport long before you were pissing in your baby food, and i assure you i know what talent is in the sport, and Mears has none of it, that's why he won his only race on fuel mileage!

12-18-2008 @ 11:11PM

You better go check them lines again Casey's lines are always full I always have to get there 2 hours ahead of time to get a good spot. So dont go thinkin you know everything i dont care who you are how old you are like i really care how long you've been in racing. OMG GET A GRIP OLD FART.

And you know darn well Casey deserved that win he was in the top 5 all day almost gotten the lead but backed off to save fuel.

Oh and Bobby is a very nice guy so i guess he dont deserve a ride either then RIGHT?? Get you story straight before typeing like i said before!

and there were still some more drivers on the table when they signed Casey and you know it. they picked Casey because like what Richard Childress said he has watched Casey race he has alot of talent and all around great driver and a good guy so let me guess Your wayy smarter then Richard Childress?? If soo boy you better be getting a job in Nascar and show them guys whats up(YEAH FREAKIN RIGHT SEE THATS WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS YOU THINK YOUR SMATER THEN THEM)

Yeah Jeff Gordon is soo talented and didnt even win this year and wow he has done some whole lot of hiting the walls and wrecking this year. But like you said there just so darn talented. Drivers has there ups and downs, Casey had a great Year last year if you was watchin the races you would have seen that too but oh yeah thats right you SAY you were if so boyy do you need some glasses!

What makes you think Mark Martin is so popular? because I go to alot of tracks and alot of the fans think he needs to get his old fart out of the car and retire already. lets face it his time is up.

You need to get your nose out of your butt and start thinking what makes you better then Casey! get a grip of yourself Know It All.

I guess you have alot of free time on your hands on here bashing Casey Mears, im on here because im taking up for my driver.
Like i said before Nascar would'nt be no fun if it only had 5 or 6 drivers on the track.

Im done playin your little word games. So good bye.PEACE

12-19-2008 @ 10:23AM

Casey Mears had a good year? ARE YOU SERIOUS! Yea, he got fired cause he had a great year! How many races did he win this year? How many races was he leading close to the finish that he had a chance to win? How did he do in the Chase? Oh yea that's right he didnt make it and was the only embarassment at Hendrick that didnt make the Chase! Yea, they were definitely wrong to fire him, right? Hendrick got that right!
I guarantee you Mark Martin will do ten times better than Mears did in the Kellogg's car, you watch and see! I guarantee he'll have more top fives and tens, will win at least a race or two, and will make the Chase, and Mears like usual will be on the brink of keeping the Jack Daniels car from going outside the top 35, if he's lucky!
And by the way, just cause im in my late 20's doesnt mean im an old fart, you ignorant and blind cunt! Just cause i have more of an understanding of the sport than you do, if you even know what Nascar is and that there is more than one driver than Mears, and that's truely pathetic if anyone waits 2 hours for Mears autograph, but i think your delusional cause there isnt anyone that stupid to wait for that idiot's autograph, and i would tell them to that face!
And clog the earwax out of your ears when i say that Bobby is a nice guy, but has talent, for to win a championship in both Nationwide and Cup series, and to have 21 Cup wins, that takes talent, did you understand what i said cause i cant do sign language on here you dumb girl!
And Mears was not running in the top 5 that race he won, top ten yes, but not top 5! GET YOUR FACTS STRAIT!