Player Management International Media Release
Mooresville, NC (February 20, 2017) – NASCAR veteran Casey Mears and sponsor GEICO will partner with Biagi-DenBeste Racing for 12 races in the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Mears will pilot the #98 GEICO Military Ford Mustang, which will pay tribute to our nation’s military and its service members.
This partnership reunites a sponsor and team who previously experienced success together in the Xfinity Series from 2002 to 2006, where Biagi-DenBeste Racing handed GEICO their first NASCAR win on July 2, 2004, at the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway. 11-years later, they are back together and looking to achieve similar results with Mears behind the wheel, beginning in Fontana, CA, on March 26th.
A winning Xfinity Series team, Biagi-DenBeste Racing visited Victory Lane during the 2016 season and team owner Fred Biagi aims for continued success with Mears and GEICO in 2017.
“It’s great to have GEICO back on-board after experiencing success together early on,” Biagi said. “GEICO is a first class company that has high standards and cares about its customers. Our philosophies line up well and we look forward to working together to have a successful year with Casey and the GEICO Military Ford.” He continued, “I’ve always had a lot of respect for Casey and his family and it excites me to have him in our racecar. I believe this new partnership will not only help us improve our race program, but also result in elevated awareness and generate the interest of potential sponsors.”
Aside from being the longtime sponsor of Germain Racing’s #13 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series entry, GEICO has become synonymous with the sport of auto racing, establishing itself as an entitlement sponsor at Talladega Superspeedway with the GEICO 500, while also blanketing racetracks across the country with the GEICO logo, including campgrounds where fans make their home during each race weekend.
“We are excited to expand our footprint in the NASCAR community with our sponsorship of Casey Mears and Biagi-DenBeste Racing in the Xfinity Series,” said GEICO vice president of marketing, Ted Ward. “We enjoyed our relationship with the team in years past and are happy that Casey will continue to be part of the GEICO family. This program is a nice complement to our Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series sponsorship of Germain Racing and will help broaden our presence during race weekends. The military is an important component of our business and we are looking forward to honoring our service members with the #98 GEICO Military Ford.”
Casey Mears carries with him one of the most recognized names in the sport of auto racing. He has experienced success at each of NASCAR’s top two levels, winning races in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. In 2006, he became the first full-time NASCAR driver to achieve an overall victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Since making his NASCAR debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 10, 2001, Mears has been employed by NASCAR’s elite, including Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. He spent the last seven seasons as the driver of the #13 GEICO entry for Germain Racing, where he helped expand a grassroots Monster Energy NASCAR Cup program into a competitive top-25 team that continues to experience success.
“I’m thankful for GEICO’s continued support and I’m happy we were able to get this deal put together with Biagi-DenBeste Racing,” Mears said. “Fred Biagi and Bill and Lori DenBeste are great people and I’ve always respected them and how committed they’ve been to NASCAR and building their team over the years. I’m honored to be able to drive the #98 GEICO Military Ford and pay tribute to our military and their families. GEICO does a terrific job of supporting the military and I appreciate the opportunity to play a small role in honoring our service members.”
About GEICO
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the second-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO, which was founded in 1936, provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 15 million private passenger customers, insuring more than 24 million vehicles (auto & cycle).
Using GEICO’s online service center, policyholders can purchase policies, make policy changes, report claims and print insurance ID cards. Policyholders can also connect to GEICO through the GEICO App, reach a representative over the phone or visit a GEICO local agent.
GEICO also provides insurance quotes on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), boats, travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for life, homes and apartments is written by non-affiliated insurance companies and is secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.
For more information, go to www.geico.com.
About Biagi-DenBeste Racing
Biagi-DenBeste Racing is owned by Fred Biagi and Bill DenBeste, with Lori DenBeste serving as President.
Fred Biagi owns Biagi Bros Transportation with his brother Greg in Napa, CA. Though racing is their passion, their careers have been driven by 18-wheels instead of four. They started in 1978 as a transportation company, but have evolved over the years into a full service transportation, warehousing and logistics company offering expert 3PL services to clients across North America. You can find out more by visiting: www.biagibros.com
Bill and Lori DenBeste established DenBeste Transportation, Inc. in 1988. The company specializes in the transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous (contaminated) soils and is the largest transporter of hazardous and non-hazardous materials in California. The company later evolved into DenBeste Water Solutions (DWS). DWS is an environmental rental company dedicated to providing cost-effective, state of the art turnkey liquid storage solutions and equipment to a wide variety of industries, including environmental, engineering, Oil and Gas.