The upcoming Cup Series race in Martinsville will feature one special driver. 47-year-old Casey Mears is set to return to NASCAR racing for the first time since 2019. He was a regular between 2003 and 2016, with 489 Cup Series starts under his belt. He pops back into the field for Garage 66 with an immediate goal in mind.
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The upcoming event will be his 490th race, and if he continues to race in another 10 Cup Series races, he’d reach the 500 race starts mark. He told the press during his media advance, “I’ve never been a guy to look at stats, so I was unaware I was that close. I started having preliminary conversations and exploring ways to make it happen. Only 47 drivers have ever done it, so it became an immediate goal.”
Mears is known for winning the 2007 Coca-Cola 600. It is his only Cup Series victory. He is the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears.
Coming back to his goal, only five active drivers can say they’ve started 500 races. They’re Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, and Joey Logano.
Look who’s back!
Casey Mears will return to action in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend at @MartinsvilleSwy.
Mears won the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 at @CLTMotorSpdwy and most recently made a start in the 2019 #DAYTONA500.
He currently has 489 NASCAR national series starts. pic.twitter.com/jg2tedv9Sm
— NASCAR Classics (@NASCARClassics) March 27, 2025
The person who has given Mears the chance to join these ranks is Carl Long, the owner of Garage 66 (formerly MBM Motorsports). The driver said, “I appreciate Carl [Long, owner] working with me to make it happen; he’s a well-respected, great guy who’s worked hard to experience longevity in the sport.”
What is Mears’ goal in Martinsville this weekend?
The 0.526-mile short track is one of Mears’ favorite race tracks. However, he is aware of the disadvantage he has against his competitors. Experience is not on his side. He has never driven the Next Gen car, and fans don’t have to be reminded what happened the last time an inexperienced driver got behind the wheel.
Katherine Legge, an accomplished driver outside NASCAR, made her Cup Series debut at the Phoenix Raceway and struggled to handle her car.
Ultimately, she ended up spinning out of contention. It cannot be guaranteed that Mears wouldn’t face a similar fate. However, he is aware that he needs to try and avoid getting into trouble.
He said, “We’re going to be competing against drivers that have massive budgets and innovative technology, so we will have challenges getting the car right as compared to other teams. Our goal will be to outperform our expectations, given the equipment and the short timeframe we’ve had to put this program together.”
Mears has finished thrice in the top 10 at Martinsville. It remains to be seen if he will add to this tally at the very least.
