Player Management International Media Release
Watkins Glen, NY (August 5, 2017) – Casey Mears and the Biagi-DenBeste Racing team headed to the Finger Lakes Region of New York this weekend for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ first road course race of the season. Mears has always experienced success at road course events and he eagerly anticipated the opportunity to get on the track at Watkins Glen International.
Mears and his No. 98 GEICO Military Ford Mustang were 16th in the opening practice session on Friday. On Saturday, the Bakersfield, CA, native wheeled around The Glen in a prompt 72.753-seconds at a speed of 121.232-miles per hour, landing him 17th on Saturday’s starting grid.
When the green flag turned the field loose for 82-laps of racing on Saturday, Mears took off from the 17th starting position, but immediately charged forward. He broke into the top-15 by lap two and continued hustling the No. 98 GEICO Military Ford to the front. Mears was up to eighth by lap 24 and feeling optimistic, but it would be just after the mid-way point of the race when things took a challenging turn.
On lap 45, Mears reported that the No. 98 GEICO Military car had a loose wheel, sending him scrambling to pit road under green to rectify the issue, surrendering precious track position. After receiving four fresh tires, he returned to the racing surface and quickly gathered up lost real estate. Pitting during green flag conditions meant that Mears would rejoin the race in the 30th position. Despite the setback, the speedy veteran made quick work of the field and found himself back in the top-20, running in the 19th position, on lap 60.
Mears had wheeled the GEICO Military Ford up to 17th with just 10 laps remaining and appeared poised for a top-15 finish after overcoming the loose wheel issue. Unfortunately, just four laps later, a surprised Mears radioed that he was out of gas. This would prove insurmountable, as the race was approaching the closing laps. Mears received a push to pit road where the Biagi-DenBeste Racing pit crew refueled the GEICO Military Ford and sent him back out for the race’s final restart of the day. While he restarted 27th with just three laps to go in the race, Mears managed to hustle the GEICO Military Ford up to 25th in the final two laps and score a top-25 finish.
“That was a tough one to take because the GEICO Military Ford was fast and we really had a top-8 or top-10 car,” Mears said after the race. “The Biagi-DenBeste guys gave me a good car and we definitely should’ve been there at the end, so it’s heartbreaking. I’m looking forward to getting on the track at Mid-Ohio next weekend and having some more fun on a road course.”
Casey Mears and the No. 98 GEICO Military Ford Mustang will hit the track at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, August 11th, at 2:00 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow on Saturday at noon (ET).
The Mid-Ohio Challenge NASCAR Xfinity Series race is on Saturday, August 12th, and it will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 3:30 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
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To learn more about Biagi-DenBeste Racing, please visit: www.biagidenbesteracing.com