Mooresville, NC (March 29, 2013) – Given the level of competition in NASCAR’s top two series’, it sometimes is a rarity for a driver to visit Victory Lane. Casey Mears has done it in both series and while his career has been blanketed with success, Mears has also met with frustration when his tenure at Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing was cut short when the teams found themselves amid transition and change.
Fortunately for the Bakersfield, CA, native, he met team owner Bob Germain in 2010, a Florida auto dealer who has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championships and was the new owner of a fledgling NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team that, at the time, was struggling to even make races. Mears was reeling from being out at a top NASCAR team, while Germain was figuring out how to build one. It would appear as though it was a match made in heaven… and it has been.
Since Mears and Germain united, the program has experienced significant growth each year and longtime sponsor GEICO has fully bought in. Recently, just prior to the 2013 Daytona 500, the insurance giant announced they would now be on-board full-time on the #13 Germain Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry for the next two seasons. Seemingly experiencing a surge of energy from the welcomed news, Germain Racing and Mears have shot out of the gate in 2013 and recorded Top 15 finishes in three of the first five races, including three in the last four weeks. Only incidental contact in Daytona where Mears’ #13 GECO Ford Fusion was hit unexpectedly on lap 33, and a heavy vibration in Las Vegas that sent him scrambling for pit road on lap 109, has hindered the team’s progress. If Mears was seeking redemption, it would appear as though he’s found it.
“I’ve been fortunate in my career to drive for some big teams and I learned a lot from those experiences and the great people I was surrounded by,” Mears said. “The situation at Germain is different because it’s a small team and I am included in every conversation and I appreciate the opportunity to have input on a daily basis. It’s like a family and we’ve been able to have continuity with our personnel since I’ve been here and that accounts for a lot when it comes to problem solving and becoming more competitive. We have a great group of people and they give 100% and put it all out there. I can’t thank GEICO, Ford and Bob Germain (team owner) enough for their belief and support of this team. I’m very excited about our program and the obvious progress we’ve made.”
To Mears point, the Germain team opted to test this week rather than enjoy an off-week that would have otherwise offered rest and relaxation. Mears and his GEICO team were the only NASCAR folks present when they tested ‘Little Rock’ on Wednesday in preparation for Martinsville.
While team owner Bob Germain sits comfortably with two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championships, it’s his current venture that is causing him excitement.
“We’re just a single car team that is working hard to get ahead in a series comprised of the best racecar drivers and teams in the world,” Germain said. “I love owning a team that has people with great character, passion and commitment. I don’t have to watch over these guys because they want to go to work, they want to be better and they fully commit to making it happen. Casey and the guys on the team really feed off of each other and I think we’re seeing how familial this team is and how strong our relationships are.” He continued, “We’ve enjoyed our relationship with Ford and they’ve been of great assistance in helping us get better. Our sponsor GEICO has been a great partner and it’s been fun to grow together and elevate the program one milestone at a time. It’s a dream come true to be competing at the Sprint Cup Series level and I’m fully committed to doing whatever it takes to continue our upward trajectory with GEICO by our side.”
To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.
You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/
Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/
Source: Player Management International, Inc., for GEICO Racing, Press Release
The article Mears and GEICO Team Quick Out of the Gate in 2013 is from Catchfence.
Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2013/sprintcup/03/29/mears-and-geico-team-quick-out-of-the-gate-in-2013/
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