TOUGH DOVER DAY DOES LITTLE TO DETER MEARS AND GEICO TEAM

Player Management International Media Release

Dover, DE (June 3, 2012) – Casey Mears entered Dover on a positive note after a near Top 20 finish a week ago in Charlotte, and nine Top 25’s in his first twelve starts.  With positive momentum carrying the GEICO Racing team, Dover served as further opportunity to continue a successful run. 
 
While Dover is not without its challenges, Mears’ first challenge came in the opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice when he ended up 39th on the speed chart.  Seemingly undaunted, Mears took to the track for Happy Hour and landed the #13 GEICO Ford Fusion a resilient 11th on the board, improving a stunning 28 positions from the earlier session.  Hope was abound, but qualifying provided more fuel for the team’s rollercoaster ride when the GEICO Fusion bottomed out during qualifying and left Mears starting 40th on Sunday.
 
Bright sunshine and reasonable temperatures greeted Mears and his teammates when they took to the starting grid for Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks.  When the green flag turned the field loose, Mears made quick work of his competition, netting five positions before the conclusion of the opening lap.  He navigated his way up to 32nd before the Monster Mile reared its ugly head.  Just nine laps into the 400-lap event, Mears was collected in the largest crash of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.  A seasoned veteran who rarely falls victim to crashes, Mears was collected along with twelve others, including Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya and Regan Smith.  For all of his efforts, he was relegated to a 41st place finish. 
 
Mears was quick to point out that although Sunday proved frustrating, it hasn’t negated the success the team has experienced in the 2012 season. 
 
“This is racing.  It’s not fun, but it’s racing and these things happen.” Mears said as he surveyed the damage to his #13 GEICO Fusion.  “It’s frustrating because I had a clear line through the crash and then I got hit from behind and ended up in the wall.”  He continued, “We keep getting better and better and just because this happened doesn’t change anything.  We’re not the only team sitting in the garage right now; a lot of guys got caught up in that mess.  We’re in good shape.  You saw the improvement from the first practice to Happy Hour and you saw how fast we were moving up in the race.  I feel really good about our effort and how we came together this weekend.”
 
To learn more about the GEICO racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.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