2014 Driver Reviews: No. 26 Casey Mears
After doing exit interviews for Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2013, we're turning the tables. We want the drivers to sell themselves. So here are the resumés for all full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2014. Then, at the end, we'll provide a summation of the driver's season in 150 words or less.
Name: Casey Mears
NASCAR Experience: Over 400 starts in 12 Sprint Cup Series seasons. Once won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2007. Bet you can't name who finished second in that race. Or third. Or fourth. It may be the best top-five of any Sprint Cup Series race over the last 10 years.
Most recent team: Germain Racing
Most recent season finish: 26th
2014 accomplishments: Scored a fourth-place finish at Daytona in July. Finished 10th in the Daytona 500 and 10th at Talladega in the fall. Highest non-restrictor plate finish was a 12th-place finish at Pocono in August.
Most memorable moment: Martinsville. But it's because the race ruined a streak dating back to Talladega in the fall of 2013 without a DNF. A crash at Martinsville meant a 37th-place finish.
This was a not-getting-punched category, right?
Strengths: Restrictor plate racing and the ability keep a car in once piece.
2015 goals: Continue to utilize the alliance with Richard Childress Racing and beat Furniture Row Racing and JTG-Daugherty Racing in the standings.
FTM's Take: Mears has settled in to a nice place in the Cup Series. Granted, he won't ever fulfilly the star potential that some might have seen when he was at Hendrick Motorsports, but a solid ride with a funded team that has an alliance isn't terrible, right? We know how finicky restrictor plate luck can be, so after finishing no lower than 14th last year at a plate race Mears could easily finish below 30th in every race in 2015. But if it's a skill, that lottery ticket could turn into a win.
Previous reviews: No. 27 Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 28, Danica Patrick, No. 29, Justin Allgaier, No. 30, David Gilliland, No. 31 Cole Whitt, No. 32 David Ragan, No. 33 Michael Annett, No. 34 Reed Sorenson, No. 35 Alex Bowman
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
