Casey Mears fell victim to NASCAR’s “silly season” in June, several months before the traditional start of stockcar racing’s shop-and-swap period.
Mears, 30, lost his seat in the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports with just 16 of 36 Sprint Cup races in the book.
“My job is to perform week in and week out,” said Mears, who joined Hendrick in 2007, won the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last year and finished 15th in Sprint Cup points. “It doesn’t do any good not to try your hardest, even under the circumstances. We found ourselves way back in the points early on, and we should have definitely performed better. But I think we had a lot more in us.”
Mears, who drove for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in 2003-06, has not had a lot of luck this season, but it isn’t in his character to complain. He admits, however, he was disappointed when told he would not be retained at Hendrick in 2009. Mears says he wishes he had been given more time to prove his worth.
“It definitely seemed premature, early,” said Mears of the decision to let him go. “I really don’t know the details, but sponsors spend a lot of money, and they expect results, which they should. At the end of the day, you have to have good results.”
Mears is adamant that his best days in NASCAR are ahead of him. In just over a month, he’ll return to MIS for the 3M Performance 400, the 23rd Cup race of the year.
“I’ll be looking for a good result at Michigan,” Mears said. “I really enjoy the track with its multiple grooves.”
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