SerpApi.Org
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Long before Casey Mears qualified for his first Brickyard 400, Indianapolis Motor Speedway was already part of the family story.
His father, Roger Mears, chased Indianapolis 500 dreams at the famed 2.5-mile oval. His uncle, Rick Mears, became one of the greatest drivers in the speedway’s history, winning the Indianapolis 500 four times and cementing his place among the legends of American motorsports.
Now, more than two decades into his own NASCAR Cup Series career, Casey Mears returns to Indianapolis carrying both family history and unfinished business.
When Mears takes the green flag Sunday in the Brickyard 400, he will drive the No. 62 Gracie Foundation Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports in what will be the 496th Cup start of his career and his 14th appearance in NASCAR’s most prestigious race at Indianapolis.
“Obviously, Indianapolis is a very special place,” Mears said. “With my dad racing there over the years and Rick having all the success he had, it’s always had a special place in our family.”
For Mears, Indianapolis has always been more than another race track.
One of his earliest memories is watching Rick Mears’ famous 1991 Indianapolis 500 victory, highlighted by his dramatic pass of Michael Andretti entering Turn 1. Meanwhile, his father’s experiences trying to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in underfunded equipment gave him a different appreciation for the speedway’s demands.
Those family connections have only grown stronger with time.
“When you’re younger, you’re so focused on making the car go fast that you don’t always appreciate the magnitude of the place,” Mears said. “As I’ve gotten older, I appreciate the history so much more.”
Mears eventually added his own chapter to Indianapolis lore.
In 2004, while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, he stunned the garage by winning the Brickyard 400 pole in record-setting fashion. The lap stood as the track record for years and remains one of the signature moments of his NASCAR career.
“To be able to sit on the pole in a Cup car my second year there was huge,” Mears said.
Two years later, he delivered his best Brickyard finish, bringing home a sixth-place result.
Now at age 48, Mears is writing a different kind of story.
This season marks a limited five-race schedule with Beard Motorsports, a family-owned organization best known for its superspeedway efforts. The program is designed to carry Mears to a milestone achievement: his 500th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.
For Beard Motorsports, Indianapolis represents another step in the team’s gradual expansion beyond Daytona and Talladega.
Founded by the late Mark Beard Sr., the organization made its Indianapolis debut last season with Jesse Love and now returns with a veteran who understands the venue as well as anyone in the field.
“It’s been really enjoyable,” Mears said. “They’re a great group of people who are giving me the best piece they possibly can every time out.”
Their first race together at Pocono Raceway ended early due to a loose wheel, but Mears believes the outing provided valuable lessons heading into Indianapolis.
“The result wasn’t what we wanted, but I actually left encouraged,” he said. “Everything we changed through the simulator and with the engineers worked exactly the way we expected during the race.”
That experience is particularly important because Mears sees similarities between Pocono and Indianapolis from a setup standpoint.
The team also carries confidence from last year’s performance.
“It sounded like the No. 62 had really good speed there last year,” Mears said. “Any time you know a car has shown speed at a place like Indianapolis, that’s encouraging.”
Preparation has changed dramatically since Mears first raced at the Brickyard. Modern NASCAR schedules provide little practice time, putting greater emphasis on simulation and preparation before arriving at the track.
“We’ll spend a lot of time in the simulator this week working with the engineers to build the best playbook we can,” Mears said. “With only about 20 minutes of practice, you have to arrive much more prepared than we ever did years ago.”
Despite the challenges of competing against full-time teams, Mears believes Beard Motorsports has realistic goals for the weekend.
“If we come home with a top-20 or top-25 finish, I’d leave with a huge smile on my face,” he said.
Still, he isn’t ruling out a surprise.
“If we hit on the setup and get the car handling the way we want, there’s no reason we can’t surprise some people.”
For Mears, success at Indianapolis isn’t measured solely by the finishing order.
Every lap around the Brickyard connects him to generations of family history, from his father’s qualifying attempts to his uncle’s victories and now his own pursuit of career milestone No. 500.
Beyond the statistics, that’s what keeps bringing him back.
“To be able to go there and be just a small part of that history is pretty amazing,” Mears said.
