Casey Mears

The son of off-road veteran Roger Mears, nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and grandson of short-track legend Bill Mears, third-generation driver Casey Mears has made his own name in the world of NASCAR.

At the age of four, Mears took up racing BMX bicycles and later moved on to ATVs and go-karts. By 1992 he was competing in the SuperLites Off-Road Series and in 1995 won the Jim Russell USAC Triple Crown Championship.

In 1996, Mears began to make his way up the open-wheel ladder, competing in both the IRL and CART series before deciding his future was in stock cars. In 2001, Mears made his NASCAR Bush Series debut before hitting the circuit full time, in 2002.

In July 2006, Casey Mears won his first NASCAR Busch Series race by coasting to a finish at Chicagoland after running out of fuel. In January 2006, Mears teamed with Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon to win the 44th Annual Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, setting a race record in 723 laps.

Mears earned his first career win in a Nextell Cup race in 2007, taking the checkered flag at the Coca Cola 600 at Concord, N.C.