In the late 1970s, Rick Mears was a promising but winless open-wheel driver competing in mediocre equipment for a second-tier team. Then he joined forces with Roger Penske, the top Champ Car owner of his era, and the relationship produced 26 victories and four wins in the Indianapolis 500.
To Casey Mears, it's all part of the family history. He knows his legendary uncle blossomed as a racecar driver only after he united with an organization as capable of winning as he was. And the younger Mears knows that now, as the newest hire on a Hendrick Motorsports team that celebrated its sixth Nextel Cup title last season, he may be on the cusp of the same thing.
"I feel like I'm at the point in my career where I'm capable of being successful week in and week out," said Mears, who takes over the No. 25 car piloted by Brian Vickers the past three years. "I'm with a team now that's capable of doing that. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that."
Mears showed flashes of potential toward the end of his four-year stint with Chip Ganassi Racing, his runner-up finish in last year's Daytona 500 one of eight top-10s he compiled in 2006. But those were the exceptions; too much of his time at Ganassi reminded him of times in other series like Busch and Indy Lights, where his goal wasn't to win, but do the best he could with inferior equipment.
At the time, it was frustrating. Drivers race to win, and those two second-place finishes -- the other was at Kansas last October -- are the closest Mears has come to reaching Victory Lane at NASCAR's top level. In some ways he's a throwback to an earlier era, when drivers had to prove themselves in lesser cars before they were given a chance in vehicles capable of winning every Sunday.
"I didn't get thrown in with one of the best teams right out of the gate. I feel I'm with one of the best teams now, and happy to be here, but all the way through Indy Lights, driving my first year in the Busch Series, getting thrown into Cup really too early -- it was a great opportunity, but I got thrown in too early -- I was able to learn what the lows are like," said Mears, who switched from open-wheels to stocks in 2002.
"I've been there, I understand it. I understand that if we finish outside the top 10, it's not the end of the day. I've learned how to bring cars home that maybe aren't quite right, and bring home a 12th with maybe a 15th-place car. I feel fortunate now. Being in the position I'm in, I can really appreciate that."
New teammate Jeff Gordon believes that experience will serve Mears well at Hendrick Motorsports, where he'll be expected to run up front every weekend. That's something his predecessor Vickers -- now with Toyota's Team Ted Bull -- wasn't able to do until late last season, when the No. 25 team scored five top-10s and a victory in its final eight starts.(Continued)
To Casey Mears, it's all part of the family history. He knows his legendary uncle blossomed as a racecar driver only after he united with an organization as capable of winning as he was. And the younger Mears knows that now, as the newest hire on a Hendrick Motorsports team that celebrated its sixth Nextel Cup title last season, he may be on the cusp of the same thing.
"I feel like I'm at the point in my career where I'm capable of being successful week in and week out," said Mears, who takes over the No. 25 car piloted by Brian Vickers the past three years. "I'm with a team now that's capable of doing that. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that."
Mears showed flashes of potential toward the end of his four-year stint with Chip Ganassi Racing, his runner-up finish in last year's Daytona 500 one of eight top-10s he compiled in 2006. But those were the exceptions; too much of his time at Ganassi reminded him of times in other series like Busch and Indy Lights, where his goal wasn't to win, but do the best he could with inferior equipment.
At the time, it was frustrating. Drivers race to win, and those two second-place finishes -- the other was at Kansas last October -- are the closest Mears has come to reaching Victory Lane at NASCAR's top level. In some ways he's a throwback to an earlier era, when drivers had to prove themselves in lesser cars before they were given a chance in vehicles capable of winning every Sunday.
"I didn't get thrown in with one of the best teams right out of the gate. I feel I'm with one of the best teams now, and happy to be here, but all the way through Indy Lights, driving my first year in the Busch Series, getting thrown into Cup really too early -- it was a great opportunity, but I got thrown in too early -- I was able to learn what the lows are like," said Mears, who switched from open-wheels to stocks in 2002.
"I've been there, I understand it. I understand that if we finish outside the top 10, it's not the end of the day. I've learned how to bring cars home that maybe aren't quite right, and bring home a 12th with maybe a 15th-place car. I feel fortunate now. Being in the position I'm in, I can really appreciate that."
New teammate Jeff Gordon believes that experience will serve Mears well at Hendrick Motorsports, where he'll be expected to run up front every weekend. That's something his predecessor Vickers -- now with Toyota's Team Ted Bull -- wasn't able to do until late last season, when the No. 25 team scored five top-10s and a victory in its final eight starts.(Continued)