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In the late 1970s, Rick Mears was a promising but winless open-wheel driver competing in mediocre equipment for a second-tier team. Then he joined forces with Roger Penske, the top Champ Car owner of his era, and the relationship produced 26 victories and four wins in the Indianapolis 500.
To Casey Mears, it's all part of the family history. He knows his legendary uncle blossomed as a racecar driver only after he united with an organization as capable of winning as he was. And the younger Mears knows that now, as the newest hire on a Hendrick Motorsports team that celebrated its sixth Nextel Cup title last season, he may be on the cusp of the same thing.
"I feel like I'm at the point in my career where I'm capable of being successful week in and week out," said Mears, who takes over the No. 25 car piloted by Brian Vickers the past three years. "I'm with a team now that's capable of doing that. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that."
Mears showed flashes of potential toward the end of his four-year stint with Chip Ganassi Racing, his runner-up finish in last year's Daytona 500 one of eight top-10s he compiled in 2006. But those were the exceptions; too much of his time at Ganassi reminded him of times in other series like Busch and Indy Lights, where his goal wasn't to win, but do the best he could with inferior equipment.
At the time, it was frustrating. Drivers race to win, and those two second-place finishes -- the other was at Kansas last October -- are the closest Mears has come to reaching Victory Lane at NASCAR's top level. In some ways he's a throwback to an earlier era, when drivers had to prove themselves in lesser cars before they were given a chance in vehicles capable of winning every Sunday.
"I didn't get thrown in with one of the best teams right out of the gate. I feel I'm with one of the best teams now, and happy to be here, but all the way through Indy Lights, driving my first year in the Busch Series, getting thrown into Cup really too early -- it was a great opportunity, but I got thrown in too early -- I was able to learn what the lows are like," said Mears, who switched from open-wheels to stocks in 2002.
"I've been there, I understand it. I understand that if we finish outside the top 10, it's not the end of the day. I've learned how to bring cars home that maybe aren't quite right, and bring home a 12th with maybe a 15th-place car. I feel fortunate now. Being in the position I'm in, I can really appreciate that."
New teammate Jeff Gordon believes that experience will serve Mears well at Hendrick Motorsports, where he'll be expected to run up front every weekend. That's something his predecessor Vickers -- now with Toyota's Team Ted Bull -- wasn't able to do until late last season, when the No. 25 team scored five top-10s and a victory in its final eight starts.
"I like to see guys that have had to earn the right to be there, and have had to work through it. Not taking anything away from Ganassi, I think they've had some great cars and teams over the last few years," Gordon said.
"But I think Casey's really had to work on getting used to a stock car, the bigger, heavier cars, and I think he's done a great job really learning how to be patient and learning how to get the most out of a car and bring it home at the end of the day. And I think that's a huge asset to Hendrick Motorsports, that we've had other people be able to teach him those things and pay his dues there. I hope that it all comes together for him this year, because I think that team is on the brink of a breakthrough, and I think Casey is as well."
It helps that Mears is surrounded by a support system like none he's ever had. Among Hendrick's 524 employees are specialized mechanics who can give detailed attention to even the smallest parts of the car. At a recent Car of Tomorrow test in Lakeland, Fla., Mears said he was accompanied by "an engineer and an engineer and another engineer," in addition to crew chief Lance McGrew.
And then there are people like Gordon and owner Rick Hendrick and reigning Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, all of whom Mears had close personal relationships before he joined his new team. He and Johnson, who both come from off-road backgrounds, were even teammates once before.
It all creates a very comfortable atmosphere, making Mears feel less like the new guy at Hendrick and more like someone who's finally where he's supposed to be. How much those personal relationships helped him get hired, he isn't sure. He was still talking to Ganassi, and within days of making a decision on his 2007 plans when he received a call from Hendrick.
"I think the way everything went down with Brian leaving, it was about who was available at that time," Mears said. "At that time, I like to think I was their first choice, the best person for this job. The fact that there were personal relationships there as well, I'm sure that helped sway that opinion. But I was told I was chosen based on the job that I could do. I feel pretty good about it. Just all the way around, it's a great opportunity."
And with that opportunity comes expectations, easily the highest of Mears' NASCAR career. For years he's been the promising, likeable kid with the so-so cars, someone Mark Martin, Jeff Burton or Dale Earnhardt Jr. would approach after races to offer encouragement or support. The instant he slides into the No. 25 car for the first time, those days are over.
"If you're going to be in this sport, you've got to step up when the time comes. The time's come," Gordon said. "But I don't think as an organization we want to put that kind of pressure on him. I think he's put that on himself."
To Casey Mears, it's all part of the family history. He knows his legendary uncle blossomed as a racecar driver only after he united with an organization as capable of winning as he was. And the younger Mears knows that now, as the newest hire on a Hendrick Motorsports team that celebrated its sixth Nextel Cup title last season, he may be on the cusp of the same thing.
"I feel like I'm at the point in my career where I'm capable of being successful week in and week out," said Mears, who takes over the No. 25 car piloted by Brian Vickers the past three years. "I'm with a team now that's capable of doing that. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that."
Mears showed flashes of potential toward the end of his four-year stint with Chip Ganassi Racing, his runner-up finish in last year's Daytona 500 one of eight top-10s he compiled in 2006. But those were the exceptions; too much of his time at Ganassi reminded him of times in other series like Busch and Indy Lights, where his goal wasn't to win, but do the best he could with inferior equipment.
At the time, it was frustrating. Drivers race to win, and those two second-place finishes -- the other was at Kansas last October -- are the closest Mears has come to reaching Victory Lane at NASCAR's top level. In some ways he's a throwback to an earlier era, when drivers had to prove themselves in lesser cars before they were given a chance in vehicles capable of winning every Sunday.
"I didn't get thrown in with one of the best teams right out of the gate. I feel I'm with one of the best teams now, and happy to be here, but all the way through Indy Lights, driving my first year in the Busch Series, getting thrown into Cup really too early -- it was a great opportunity, but I got thrown in too early -- I was able to learn what the lows are like," said Mears, who switched from open-wheels to stocks in 2002.
"I've been there, I understand it. I understand that if we finish outside the top 10, it's not the end of the day. I've learned how to bring cars home that maybe aren't quite right, and bring home a 12th with maybe a 15th-place car. I feel fortunate now. Being in the position I'm in, I can really appreciate that."
New teammate Jeff Gordon believes that experience will serve Mears well at Hendrick Motorsports, where he'll be expected to run up front every weekend. That's something his predecessor Vickers -- now with Toyota's Team Ted Bull -- wasn't able to do until late last season, when the No. 25 team scored five top-10s and a victory in its final eight starts.
"I like to see guys that have had to earn the right to be there, and have had to work through it. Not taking anything away from Ganassi, I think they've had some great cars and teams over the last few years," Gordon said.
"But I think Casey's really had to work on getting used to a stock car, the bigger, heavier cars, and I think he's done a great job really learning how to be patient and learning how to get the most out of a car and bring it home at the end of the day. And I think that's a huge asset to Hendrick Motorsports, that we've had other people be able to teach him those things and pay his dues there. I hope that it all comes together for him this year, because I think that team is on the brink of a breakthrough, and I think Casey is as well."
It helps that Mears is surrounded by a support system like none he's ever had. Among Hendrick's 524 employees are specialized mechanics who can give detailed attention to even the smallest parts of the car. At a recent Car of Tomorrow test in Lakeland, Fla., Mears said he was accompanied by "an engineer and an engineer and another engineer," in addition to crew chief Lance McGrew.
And then there are people like Gordon and owner Rick Hendrick and reigning Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, all of whom Mears had close personal relationships before he joined his new team. He and Johnson, who both come from off-road backgrounds, were even teammates once before.
It all creates a very comfortable atmosphere, making Mears feel less like the new guy at Hendrick and more like someone who's finally where he's supposed to be. How much those personal relationships helped him get hired, he isn't sure. He was still talking to Ganassi, and within days of making a decision on his 2007 plans when he received a call from Hendrick.
"I think the way everything went down with Brian leaving, it was about who was available at that time," Mears said. "At that time, I like to think I was their first choice, the best person for this job. The fact that there were personal relationships there as well, I'm sure that helped sway that opinion. But I was told I was chosen based on the job that I could do. I feel pretty good about it. Just all the way around, it's a great opportunity."
And with that opportunity comes expectations, easily the highest of Mears' NASCAR career. For years he's been the promising, likeable kid with the so-so cars, someone Mark Martin, Jeff Burton or Dale Earnhardt Jr. would approach after races to offer encouragement or support. The instant he slides into the No. 25 car for the first time, those days are over.
"If you're going to be in this sport, you've got to step up when the time comes. The time's come," Gordon said. "But I don't think as an organization we want to put that kind of pressure on him. I think he's put that on himself."
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