Fast Facts: Casey Mears

Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR

Casey Mears, driver of the No. 13 GEICO Ford for Germain Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, has a name that is synonymous with speed in motorsports: his father is off-road racer and Indy 500 veteran Roger Mears and his uncle is four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears. Here’s a quick look at the path this 34-year-old driver took to the top ranks of NASCAR.

• Casey James Mears was born March 12, 1978 in Bakersfield, California. He began racing BMX bikes and ATVs at age 4.In 1991 he raced go-karts for one season, then moved on to the SuperLites Off-Road Series in 1992. His next move was to spring cars in 1994, finishing third in the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship that season; he followed it up with a USAC championship in 1995.
• Mears moved to the Indy Lights Series part-time in 1996; in 1999 he finished second in the championship hunt by 14 points. He won his first Indy Lights race in Houston in 2000, during which time he was testing Indy Cars for multiple CART teams. He made his CART debut in October that year, finishing fourth – his best CART finish – after qualifying 15th and leading 10 laps.
• Mears made his debut in NASCAR’s Busch Series (now Nationwide) in 2001, racing full-time there in 2002. He made the jump to the Cup Series with Chip Ganassi in 2003, where he stayed through the 2006 season. He moved on to Hendrick Motorsports in 2007, finally winning his first Cup Series race in May at the Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte. He also drove for Richard Childress Racing, Key Motorsports, Tommy Baldwin Racing and Red Bull Racing before landing with Germain Racing in September 2010.
• Mears and his wife Trish have two children, Samantha and Hayden.
• Find out more about Casey Mears at http://www.mearsgang.com/.