Mears looks forward to new opportunities
LONG POND, Pa. - Casey Mears delicately balanced praising Chip Ganassi Racing with acknowledging that opportunities might potentially be better elsewhere as he talked Friday about his decision to leave the No. 42 team after the 2006 season.
"I've talked to Chip and let him know I won't be returning next year," Mears said at Pocono Raceway. "My decision has been strictly based on ... where I feel like I can perform better.
"It is not a slap in the face of this race team at all because I think that we're continuing to grow, continuing to get better."
Mears wouldn't rule out any of the open rides. Hendrick Motorsports may have one in its No. 25 Chevrolet with the recent announcement that Brian Vickers has been given permission to seek other rides, Robert Yates Racing has an opening in the No. 88 Ford being vacated by Dale Jarrett and the new Red Bull Racing Toyota team has two.
But Mears admitted there is an allure from the Hendrick stable.
"I don't know exactly what is going to happen there yet," Mears said. "Hopefully it is in an opportunity, but otherwise there is some other stuff out there too that I have been considering as well.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find out that has been one of the best teams in NASCAR racing for a lot of years. ... The possibility of going there is very, very appealing."
Mears is good friends with Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson as well as team owner Rick Hendrick. But the team's Kyle Busch? Not so much. But, as Johnson said, Hendrick has a way of settling those issues. And, he said, Mears would be worth it.
"He's one of the few guys that doesn't have anything signed up for next year. He's by far the best one out there," Johnson said.
Having spent four years at Ganassi, Mears has driven 121 Cup races with a career best of second at the 2006 Daytona 500. Mears said that he did not expect a drop in performance the rest of the year while running for Ganassi.
"The thing I feel the most bad about really is this team has just been through all of this with Jaimie [McMurray], and I hope that they don't look at it in that same light," Mears said. "I signed a four-year deal with Chip, and I fulfilled my commitment."
Mears said he expects to have a decision in the next few weeks.
"It's not financial,' Mears said. "I'd be stupid to say that I'm not trying to better myself. ... That's not a basis for my decision at all.
"You'll come to find out that there were several opportunities. If I were to strictly base it off financial, I would end up somewhere where you guys would think I was not supposed to end up right now."
