POCONO FAVORS MEARS AND GEICO TEAM; VALVOLINE ON-BOARD FOR TWO RACES
Player Management International Media Release
Mooresville, NC (June 12, 2012) – Although sponsorship funding eluded the Germain Racing team for last weekend’s Pocono race, that doesn’t mean they didn’t enjoy a productive visit to the Tricky Triangle. In fact, if you rest within earshot of GEICO driver Casey Mears and his crew, you will even hear enthusiasm flowing through their voices.
Aside from the normally scheduled NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, the Pocono weekend also provided the GEICO team the opportunity to test for the first time since the 2012 season got underway in February. Pocono Raceway afforded the series a test on Wednesday and Thursday due to the repaving that took place during the off-season. Mears experienced vast improvement throughout both days, winding up 30th in the week’s first session, before bettering his position to 16th when the final day of testing concluded.
The test allowed the Germain Racing team to collect much needed information from the #13 GEICO Ford Fusion via its data acquisition system, which helps assess the car’s reaction in certain situations. Mears’ GEICO machine was riddled with sensors that ultimately provided crew chief Bootie Barker and his engineers with data necessary to help make proper adjustments, which, in turn, would provide Mears with additional speed. Their efforts were successful and the results became evident as the race weekend got underway.
While Mears ended up 21st and 15th in Friday’s respective practice sessions, the results would not be indicative of his success. He spent the bulk of both practices in the top five and top ten, garnering significant television exposure and giving the GEICO team a much needed confidence boost after a tough week at Dover.
With Pocono in their rearview mirror, the Germain Racing team now eyes an upcoming test this week at Michigan International Speedway, another facility that has experienced a repaving in the off-season. To a single-car team on the rise, each test session serves as a valuable opportunity to gather much needed data and information that will ultimately translate into speed for Mears and his Ford Fusion.
Good news is abound after the Pocono test and now Mears and his Germain team welcome a new sponsor in Valvoline for this weekend’s Quicken Loans 400. Valvoline will also fly their corporate colors on the #13 Germain Racing Sprint Cup Series entry at Kentucky Speedway on June 30th. While Mears and his Germain team started the season with 22 races sponsored, the number has now grown to 25.
“Pocono was a weekend of mixed emotions because the test and the practice sessions went really well, but we didn’t have a sponsor for the race so that cut our Sunday short,” Mears said. “We made a lot of progress and were able to learn some things and gather much needed data. We had a great weekend and it’s also exciting to learn that Valvoline will be on our car for Michigan and Kentucky. We’ve made a lot of progress this year and things continue to head in the right direction.”
This week, Mears and the Germain Racing team will be looking to get the party started quickly when they travel to Motown for race number 15 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Mears and his #13 Valvoline Ford Fusion will hit the track at Michigan International Speedway for a one day test on Thursday before the opening practice session on Friday, June 15th, at 12:30 PM (EDT). Qualifying will follow on Saturday at 1:10 PM (EDT).
The Quicken Loans 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, June 17th, and it will be televised live on TNT beginning at 12:00 PM (EDT). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
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