Veteran driver Casey Mears will make his return to the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway March 30, where he will pilot the No. 66 HitchGo Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Garage 66, MBM Motorsports announced Thursday (March 13). The race will mark Mears’ first Cup start in six years.
“I’m happy to be back in a race car and look forward to returning to Martinsville, one of my favorite tracks,” Mears said in a team press release. “I appreciate Carl (Long) working with me to make it happen; he’s a well respected, great guy who’s worked hard to experience longevity in the sport.”
“Having Casey Mears drive a Garage 66 car is a proud day for our organization,” team owner Carl Long said. “He’s driven for NASCAR’s elite, such as Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Richard Childress Racing. Adding Garage 66 to that list means a lot to me and everyone who’s helped build our team.
In addition to his Martinsville start, Mears plans on attempting additional Cup races in the future, as he looks to reach 500 career starts in the series, a feat that only 47 drivers have achieved in the sports history.
Mears’ most recent Cup Series attempt came in 2019, where he finished 40th in the Daytona 500 in a Germain Racing entry. Mears raced full-time for Germain from 2011 to 2016.
He has one Cup win, the 2007 Coca-Cola 600.
Wow, speaking of pay to play, where did he come from?
I wish Carl Long would stop fielding these back marker cars that just get in the way.
Will someone please explain to me who benefits from these ventures?
The only thing I can think of, they must be “wine and dine” events to put a sponsor on a car, get their big wigs to the track, and try to sell them on making further advertising investments into the series. Or maybe the sponsors want to be in NA$CAR, but don’t have the budget to be on a Hendrick, Gibbs, or Penske car?