MT. PLEASANT, Mich. — For Casey Mears, the street to a milestone five hundredth profession NASCAR Cup Sequence begin received a little bit sidetracked due to the intervention of Mom Nature seven weekends in the past at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
However it continues in earnest for the 48-year-old driver on Sunday with the Nice American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, the place the veteran racer will lastly get his first likelihood to strap into the No. 62 Gracie Basis Chevrolet for family-owned Beard Motorsports.
Moist climate on qualifying day April 25 at Talladega despatched Mears and the Beard workforce to the sidelines earlier than they ever had an opportunity to show a lap.
It was to be Mears’ 496th profession Cup Sequence begin, and his and the workforce’s first of 5 races collectively this season, to be adopted by the July 26 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Aug. 29 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) Worldwide Speedway, the Oct. 25 YellaWood 500 at Talladega, and the season finale Nov. 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The latter outing will mark profession begin No. 500 for Mears.
However earlier than his ideas flip to milestones, Mears is concentrated on one thing a lot easier this weekend – getting again behind the wheel.
“The largest factor is simply trying ahead to attending to the racetrack,” Mears stated. “After exhibiting as much as Talladega and being the one automotive that goes dwelling, that was no enjoyable. Simply understanding that we’re going to the racetrack and have a possibility to go racing and get to know all the fellows on the workforce a little bit higher and exit and have some enjoyable is the plan.”
That chance was denied at Talladega when qualifying was washed out. With the sector set by NASCAR metrics that embody proprietor factors, the Beard entry, with zero proprietor factors, turned the lone workforce disregarded of the 40-car discipline.
“For positive it was disappointing,” Mears stated. “I felt like if we might’ve had the chance to qualify, we positively would’ve been in. That was in all probability the irritating half, understanding one of many higher automobiles was going dwelling. However that’s the best way the game goes. You may’t management the climate.”
Now the main focus shifts to certainly one of NASCAR’s most unusual venues. Pocono Raceway, generally known as “The Difficult Triangle,” presents challenges not like another observe on the schedule. Its three corners had been modeled after three completely different speedways, making a setup compromise that groups spend whole weekends making an attempt to unravel.
That problem turns into even better for Beard Motorsports, whose 34 earlier Cup Sequence begins over the previous 9 seasons have come virtually solely the superspeedways at Daytona and Talladega. This weekend represents the group’s first look at Pocono.
For Mears, nonetheless, the two.5-mile triangle feels rather more like dwelling. He owns 28 profession Cup Sequence begins there, highlighted by a pole place in 2004 and a pair of top-10 finishes through the 2007 season for Hendrick Motorsports.
Earlier than that, he dominated a memorable ARCA Menards Sequence doubleheader weekend in 2003, sweeping each races whereas main 103 of 160 laps driving for proprietor Chip Ganassi.
These experiences present confidence heading into an in any other case unsure weekend.
“Anytime you return to a spot the place you’ve had success at any degree, it makes you be ok with going again,” Mears stated. “These ARCA races had been tremendous dominant. The automotive was tremendous quick, and it was nice to get a few wins and get momentum getting in the best route.”
Pocono’s distinctive format additionally performed into Mears’ strengths through the early levels of his NASCAR profession.
Coming from an IndyCar background, he arrived with intensive expertise shifting gears and adapting to various observe configurations – expertise that proved priceless at a venue many inventory automotive drivers discovered difficult again within the day.
“I’ve all the time favored the observe,” Mears stated. “I really feel like I tailored to it fairly early on and had pace proper out of the gate.”
Even so, there are many unknowns awaiting him this weekend. Though Mears and Beard Motorsports have spent months making ready for his or her run this season, Talladega’s weather-shortened weekend means neither aspect has but skilled a single aggressive lap collectively.
“We haven’t had any on-track exercise to have any gauge of the place the automotive might or might not be,” Mears stated. “We’re type of going into this with a number of unknowns. However they’re ready. I’ve been talking quite a bit with (crew chief) Darren (Shaw) and (co-owner) Amie (Beard-Deja), and Darren’s saying all the best stuff so far as issues they’re engaged on with the automotive.”
The workforce’s consideration to element has earned Mears confidence. Since making its Cup Sequence debut on the 2017 Daytona 500, Beard Motorsports has constructed a popularity for maximizing alternatives regardless of its restricted schedule.
Powered by ECR-built Chevrolet engines, the group has recorded eight top-10 finishes in simply 34 Cup Sequence begins, together with Noah Gragson’s fifth-place end at Daytona in 2022.
Whereas a lot of that success has come on superspeedways, Mears believes the meticulous method required to compete at these venues can translate elsewhere.
“Nearly all of the power to excel on the superspeedways goes out the window at a spot like Pocono, however the consideration to element that it takes at a superspeedway is vital,” he stated. “The connection between the underside of the automotive and the bottom is so vital as of late. Something that may cut back friction and drag is large. There’s stuff they’ve in all probability accomplished with their superspeedway program that applies.”
