MEARS BLOWS OUT OF WINDY CITY WITH TOP-20 FINISH

Player Management International Media Release

Joliet, IL (September 20, 2015) – Entering Chicago this weekend, Casey Mears and the Germain Racing team had never finished better than 26th at the 1.5-mile facility.  They aimed to put that statistic behind them and continue their improvement on intermediate racetracks.  Their aim was true and the team departed the Windy City with a top-20 finish.

Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS appeared consistent in practice during the weekend, finishing up 25th, 26th and 24th in the respective sessions.  After inclement weather forced the cancellation of qualifying, he would start 24th when the field was set according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rulebook. 

Taking the green flag under blue skies and in front of a packed house, Mears began his journey from the 24th position.  He was quickly at odds with an ill-handling racecar and ultimately dropped as low as 29th on the scoring chart.  As the race approached halfway, crew chief Bootie Barker and the GEICO pit crew had found the answer and Mears began picking off cars one-by-one until he found himself running in the top-20.  Mears excitedly shared the good news that the car was “way better”.  The result was evident and the team’s hard work paid off, as he would run solidly in the top-20 for the balance of the event. 

When the checkered flag concluded 267-laps of intense racing action, Mears and his GEICO Chevy crossed the finish line in the 20th position, handing Germain Racing their best ever finish at Chicagoland Speedway, while also collecting the team’s 12th top-20 finish of the 2015 season.

“We started off a little slow, but Bootie (Barker, crew chief) and the guys did a nice job of making changes to the GEICO Chevrolet,” Mears said.  “I was able to take off and pass a lot of cars.  It’s nice to see our improvement on these types of tracks and I’m proud of the guys and all of their hard work.  We’re looking forward to getting to New Hampshire next weekend.”

The GEICO team will now travel to Loudon, NH, to do battle at the Magic Mile. 

Mears and the #13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, September 25th, at 12:00 PM (ET).  Qualifying will follow at 4:45 PM (ET).

The Sylvania 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, September 27th, and it will be televised live on NBC Sports beginning at 2:00 PM (ET).  The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast. 

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn about how you can save money on more than just auto insurance.

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
To learn more about Germain Racing, please visit: www.germainracing.com