Top 35 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers: No. 21 - Casey Mears
By David Exum - SceneDaily Staff Writer
Friday, December 11, 2009
Richard Childress Racing's Casey Mears finished 21st in the final 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
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Casey Mears joined Richard Childress Racing in 2009 after two seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, determined that he could run well enough to make the Chase For The Sprint Cup for the first time in his career, but it wasn’t to be.
Mears never came close to reaching that goal, and his status for 2010 is uncertain if RCR doesn’t find a primary sponsor for Mears’ No. 07 team, which lost Jack Daniel’s.
While Mears was running at the finish of every 2009 race, the 33-year-old driver came home in the top 10 only four times.
The Bakersfield, Calif., native wound up 21st in the series standings and earned $3,958,463 in purses.
During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 35 in 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup driver points. Here’s how Mears’ season unfolded:
By the numbers: In 36 starts, Mears recorded four top-10 finishes and did not record a DNF. Mears finished his first season at RCR with a 19.8 average finish.
Season highlights: Mears' best finish of the season came at Michigan International Speedway in August, when he finished sixth after starting in the 42nd position. His other top finish of 2009 was a seventh in the October race at Charlotte.
Key setback: Finishing 20th or worse in 18 of 36 races kept Mears from climbing higher in the series standings throughout the season.
Newsworthy moments: The announcement that primary sponsor Jack Daniel's would not return to RCR was a major blow to the No. 07 team. If RCR cannot find a sponsor for Mears, his future with the team is in doubt. Another newsworthy moment for Mears came in the Nationwide race at Texas in November. He finished second in that race while driving for Jeff Burton and recorded his first top-five in the series since 2007.
In his words: “I’m proud of all the guys that have been a part of No. 07 program this year, There have been a lot of changes, but these guys never quit. They put a lot of hard work in this season, and I have to thank all of them for their efforts. And a big thank you to Jack Daniel’s for all their support, not only this season, but over the last five years.”
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