Driver

Birthdate: March 12, 1978
Resides: Mooresville, N.C.
Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.
Marital Status: Single

For Casey Mears, the future is bright.
Following a season full of memories, including a move to Hendrick Motorsports and his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, Mears has big plans for 2008.

In his second year with team owner Rick Hendrick, Mears will drive the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet. He joins forces with one of NASCAR's rising stars, crew chief Alan Gustafson. Gustafson and the No. 5 team earned consecutive berths in the “Chase for the Sprint Cup” in 2006 and 2007, earning 10th- and fifth-place finishes, respectively.

Mears, combined with the success of Hendrick Motorsports, Gustafson and the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST team, is hoping to write his name in the NASCAR history books.

Career History

Starting Out

1982-1994
Mears began his motor sports career in 1982 at the age of 4. He started out racing BMX bicycles and then all terrain vehicles at his hometown speedway in Bakersfield, Calif.

Mears transitioned to go-kart racing in 1991 and jumped to the SuperLites Off-Road Series in 1992, where he notched a couple of top-three finishes. Soon after his successful SuperLites season, Mears stepped up to compete in the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship and took home a victory at Mesa Marin Raceway in California. He eventually finished third in the series.

1995-1999
In 1995, Mears improved on the previous season and captured the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown championship. He made his Indy Lights debut in 1996 at the Cleveland Grand Prix and finished eighth. By 1997, Mears was competing full time in the Indy Lights Championship Series and looking to challenge for a title.

Mears had an impressive year in the Indy Lights Series in 1999. He became only the fourth driver at the time to complete every lap in a single season. He also scored 11 top-10 finishes, eight top-fives and four podium results, including runner-up placements at both Milwaukee and Joliet, Mich. He completed the season second overall, only 14 points shy of the championship.

2000-2002
In 2000, Mears won the Champ Car World Series Grand Prix of Houston and began testing Indy cars for multiple teams. In October, he was offered a chance to drive a third entry for Team Rahal in the CART Series at California Speedway. He qualified 15^th, led 10 laps and finished fourth in his CART debut.

Next, Mears ran three races in the Indy Racing League in 2001. He finished the season as a replacement for the injured Alex Zanardi and the Morris Nunn CART team. In those four CART starts, Mears posted one top-10 finish.

In 2002, Mears faced a difficult decision. After driving for a NASCAR-affiliated team in the final ARCA Series stock car race of 2001, he had the opportunity to drive in both stock and open-wheel cars. Mears looked for advice about his future from his father and uncle, and decided that NASCAR held the best opportunities.

From Open-Wheel To Stock Cars

In only five years on the NASCAR circuit, Mears has shown steady improvement behind the wheel of a stock car, and his potential for future success is widely recognized throughout the sport.

2002
Mears competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series full time in 2002, driving the No. 66 entry for owner Wayne Jesel. He finished in the top five once, while also securing seven top-15 finishes during his first season behind the wheel of a stock car.

2003
During his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie season in 2003, Mears competed in all 36 races for Chip Ganassi Racing. He ended the season with five top-20 finishes and placed 35^th overall in the point standings.

Mears also drove 13 races in the Nationwide Series, scoring one pole position and three top-10 finishes. He also competed in four ARCA races, winning three of them and marking his first victory in a stock car.

2004
The 2004 racing season marked continued improvement for Mears. While tallying one top-five finish and nine top-10s in the Sprint Cup Series, he also competed in 17 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, including the race at California Speedway. He captured the pole there and went on to earn a career-best finish of second.

Mears' consistent performance in 2004 earned him his first career top-five Cup Series finish at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. In keeping with family tradition, he also captured the pole position in track-record time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 6, 2004. His uncle, Rick Mears, won six Indianapolis 500 poles during his open-wheel career.

2005
The 2005 Sprint Cup season was something of a rollercoaster ride for the Bakersfield, Calif., native. He watched two potential victories -- at Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway -- slip away after late-race cautions. However, Mears ended the season on a high note with three top-five finishes and nine top-10s for the year, including five top-10s in the final nine races.

2006
Mears turned that late-season momentum from 2005 into a fast start in 2006. He became the first full-time NASCAR driver to be part of a winning Grand American Rolex 24 team at Daytona International Speedway and followed that with a runner-up finish to now-teammate Jimmie Johnson in the prestigious Daytona 500. In July 2006, Mears won his first career NASCAR race at Chicagoland Speedway in Nationwide Series competition.

Mears finished the 2006 Sprint Cup season a career-best 14^th in the final point standings, with two top-five finishes and eight top-10s.

2007
Mears' first season with Hendrick Motorsports was highlighted with his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mears, in the No. 25 Chevrolet, earned career highs in top-five finishes (five), top-10 finishes (10) and recorded his third career pole at Chicagoland Speedway. The team ended the 2007 season 15^th in the Sprint Cup standings.

Mears also competed in 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races for Hendrick Motorsports. The No. 24 team earned an impressive 14 top-10 finishes during its partial season with Mears.

In September, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Mears would move to the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, a team that has posted four victories and two top-10 points finishes in the past three Sprint Cup campaigns under the watchful eye of Gustafson.