Tag Archives: Casey Mears

21, as many of you will know, is a lucky number in Las Vegas. So, here are exactly that many questions, observations, and thoughts - in no particular order - on the season so far as the series leaves Sin City to head back east.

The first three races of 2009 have yielded surprising results at the top of the bottom of the points standings. Some drivers, like Mark Martin, are left scratching their head after having fast cars at each race, but no finishes to show for that. Likewise, teams like Michael Waltrip Racing in the Top 12 and some of the startup teams near the brink of emergence in the Top 35 are among other early surprises in the points. That being said, here are the best of both this week.

Did You Notice? The latest way in which NASCAR’s “locked-in” qualifying rule has spiraled out of control? For the past year plus, MSRP Motorsports has existed in the Nationwide Series for seemingly one goal – to make money. Each week, the team owned by Phil Parsons’s wife, Marcia, and Randy Humphrey trots out two unsponsored Chevrolets, hoping to simply qualify within the field of 43. It’s their only big hurdle to clear each weekend – not so they can compete, but so they can gain the opportunity to park their cars before they’d need to make an actual pit stop. Doing that pockets them as much cash as possible while avoiding costs like a real pit crew, extra sets of tires, etc. In 63 career starts in the series, the team’s No. 90 and No. 91 cars have been running at the finish a total of zero times. That’s right… zero. I don’t care how many times you tell me just qualifying is enough to court sponsors; a record of 0-for-63 isn’t going to get anyone to sign on the dotted line. That’s the biggest bunch of baloney I’ve ever heard.

The Budweiser Shootout this year will feature a new selection format, with the top six drivers from each auto manufacturer's stable making the field. Was this really a good formula, or could NASCAR and Budweiser have done better, considering that they can no longer use pole winners sponsored by a rival product?

After a year in the former No. 25, Casey Mears took over the driver's seat in the No. 5 car for HMS, replacing Kyle Busch. In doing so, he slid into a team that made the Chase in 2007, but didn’t get the job done in 2008. And while you can’t put all the blame for his team’s performance on Mears (many key players and some equipment was shuffled to Earnhardt Jr.’s new car), much of the responsibility does lie with the driver; and after a drop to 20th in the season-ending points standings, Mears was let go in favor of Mark Martin for the 2009 season.

Did You Notice? Larry Carter left Roush Fenway Racing only to be “rehired” at Yates? So, in other words he got transferred to the “B” squad. In other Yates Racing news, Todd Parrott has officially left the organization for which he once won a championship with former driver Dale Jarrett. Where he lands is unknown, but that departure for me removes one of the last links to when this team was a successful independent organization. Newer fans don’t understand that in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Parrott was right up there with the likes of Chad Knaus, Bob Osborne, and Greg Zipadelli as one of the great crew chief minds in the business. Unfortunately, the last few years have seen him hang on too long with an organization that lost its money, its power, and its direction – and never quite could get it back until Roush up and took them under his wing.

After 36 points-paying events, nine months, and 14,493 miles of racing, the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is finally in the books. When the smoke cleared, it was Jimmie Johnson winning his third consecutive championship, tying Cale Yarborough as the only drivers in history to accomplish that feat. Behind him, Carl Edwards finished second but won the most trophies, with a total of nine checkered flags captured throughout the year. In contrast, Jeff Gordon snapped his streak of at least one win per season at 14, while Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick were some of the other notables who got shut out of Victory Lane. However, none of those drivers mentioned got left out of our final Power Rankings poll of the season. As you might expect, Johnson was unanimously voted number one on our list; but where did the other drivers mentioned wind up? Read on to see if your wheelman shone in the Florida sun, or got sand kicked in his face in the final edition of our 2008 Top-15 rankings.

If you're still doubting Jimmie Johnson's championship future, well, let's put it this way: our writers are convinced. Johnson pulled off the sweep this week in the Power Rankings, garnering all 10 first-place votes. But what about the big shifts behind him? Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart are just some of the Chasers who had major jumps up and down the ladder this week. Check our rankings to see if your driver kept the short track fenders on or finished without his hood in this week’s Top 15.

Each week, we’ll go through media reports, interviews, PR, and all our own stuff to find the best quotes from the Sprint Cup race, capturing the story of how the weekend unfolded. It’s the most original commentary you’ll ever find: the truth, coming straight out of the mouths of the drivers, crew members, and the car owners themselves. This week, here’s a sneak peek at what a select few were thinking following the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway. "We were one of probably two or three cars that were really strong. And we had a great pit stall and great pit stops. We were going for maximum points, and thankfully, we did that today. I'm just very proud of this race team and the composure we’ve shown over the year, and the work that’s gone on to get this Lowe’s Impala back in Victory Lane." _Jimmie Johnson_

One driver in particular made it through the carnage unscathed; and despite running like he was towing an anchor at the finish, Jimmie Johnson did what he had to do to put a third title firmly within his grasp. It also increased his lead in the Frontstretch Top 15, making him a clear favorite to end the year on top. Behind him, the shuffling was as fast and furious as the Talladega draft -- and two drivers got left behind. Read on to see if your driver made the slingshot move towards the front of our list, or if his fortunes were swept up by disaster in this week's Power Rankings.