STRING OF GOOD RUNS CONTINUES FOR MEARS IN PHOENIX
Player Management International Media Release
Avondale, AZ (November 13, 2011) – Coming off of three strong weeks, Casey Mears and the GEICO team viewed Phoenix as an opportunity to continue the momentum. Sitting 32nd among the ever-coveted Top 35 in the Owner Point standings, Mears is looking to end the 2012 season on a positive note.
Taking to the racetrack on Friday afternoon, Mears ended up 39th in the opening practice session. Final practice saw the #13 GEICO Camry improve ten spots to 29th as the team headed into qualifying. When qualifying got underway on Saturday, Mears wheeled around the newly paved 1-mile oval in 27.062-seconds, landing him 38th on Sunday’s starting grid.
Though Mears started in the rear of the field, he did not remain their long once the green flag waved on Sunday afternoon. Starting 38th, Mears jumped to 33rd on the opening lap and had captured 31st before the event’s first caution flag of the day was displayed on lap two. He restarted 30th on lap five and would continue moving the #13 GEICO Camry through the field. He spent most of the day skirting the Top 25 before cracking the Top 20 on lap 173.
Mears eventually muscled his way into the Top 15 before heartbreak struck the GEICO driver. He was running in the 14th position with just 27 laps remaining in the race when he radioed to crew chief Bootie Barker that his fuel tank was empty. With no power in his GEICO Camry as he entered pit road, Mears was rendered helpless in determining his pit road speed. His situation became more complicated when NASCAR issued Mears a speeding penalty for being too fast on entry. After the GEICO crew replenished his racecar with much needed Sunoco racing fuel, Mears was forced to serve a pass-through penalty, sending the #13 GEICO Camry three laps down to the field.
After running 14th on the lead lap with just a couple of dozen laps to go, Mears was relegated to a 26th place finish when the checkered flag halted the field on Sunday afternoon. The finish allowed the Germain Racing team to retain their 32nd position in the Owner Point standings.
“It’s very frustrating because we had such a great run going today; maybe one of the best of the year,” Mears said after exiting the GEICO Camry. “We honestly didn’t know how today would turn out, but the #13 GEICO Camry was really good and we were there at the end. Unfortunately, racing issues you some tough breaks sometimes and today we experienced one. We have had a great four weeks now, and today will not take away from that. Even though we ended up 26th, we were definitely headed for a Top 15 finish. I wish we could go to Homestead tomorrow. We’re excited to get down there and continue building the momentum for 2012. Our team is in a good place right now.”
Next week, Mears and the GEICO team travel to Homestead, FL, for the final race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Mears and the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry will hit the 1.5-mile oval of Homestead-Miami Speedway for the opening practice session on Friday, November 18th, at 3:00 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow on Saturday, November 19th, at 2:40 PM (ET).
The Ford 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 20th, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3:00 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.geicogarage.com
You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing
Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing