Roger Mears

Bakersfield is home to one of the most famous racing legacies – the Mears Gang. Roger Mears is best known as the off-road racing superstar of the family.

Mears was born in Kansas in 1947 but the family soon made its way to Bakersfield. A haven for dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle action, Kern County was a natural place for Mears to hone the skills that made him a fixture on the off-road circuit.

As an off-road specialist, Mears' racing career started in the early 1970s and continued well into the 1990s.  He is a five-time class champion in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, four-time winner of the Baja 1000, and has 20 total off-road championships.

He also made a mark on the pavement, racing the United States Auto Club and Championship Auto Racing Teams championship series. From 1978 to 1984 he had 31 combined career starts, including appearances in the Indianapolis 500 in 1982 and 1983. He finished in the top 10 on 17 occasions, with his personal best of fourth place achived three times.

Late in his career, Mears made four starts in the 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, racing for Hendrick Motorsports.  His best finish was 16th in a race at Bakersfield’s Mesa Marin Raceway, the site where the truck series originated.

Roger is the father of NASCAR driver Casey Mears and brother of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears.