With no sponsor support following the 2009 season, seven year Cup Series veteran Casey Mears was left without a ride and once again shifting gears. Searching for a team and sponsor in this economic climate was no easy task and other open rides quickly became secured by other drivers.
Wednesday, that all changed as Mears announced he would be joining one of the newest teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Keyed-Up Motorsports. Making their debut in Daytona, Keyed-Up Motorsports also has veteran crew chief Doug Richert on their side.
“Keyed-Up Motorsports is very excited to have Casey Mears driving our No. 90 Chevy Impala.” said team owner Raymond Key. “With Casey’s proven ability as a top driver and Doug’s vast experience as a winning crew chief, we think 2010 is going to be a great year. We expect full-season sponsorship to come, soon.”
Since his debut in 2003, Mears has raced with three of the sport’s top three teams in five different car numbers.
Starting out with Ganassi Racing, Mears began driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2007. He took the National Guard to victory lane on Memorial Day weekend by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway that first year and things began to look up.
The following year, Mears was moved to the No. 5 Chevrolet and started the year with a flat tire at Daytona and a major wreck the following race in Fontana. With the return of Mark Martin in 2009, Mears was once again headed to a new team.
Following a rough year with Richard Childress Racing Mears is now ready to start again, this time helping a new team on the scene.
In 1980, Richert (who was only 20 years-old) called the shots for Dale Earnhardt Sr. while edging out Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson for their first NASCAR Cup Series title. The addition of Richert atop the pit box brings proven success to this team ready to make it work.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity to drive the Keyed-Up Motorsports No. 90 Chevy.” said Mears. “I’m looking forward to working with Raymond, Doug and the entire team during the 2010 Cup season. We’re a new team, but I feel we have everything in place to race. It’s going to be a rewarding endeavor.”
http://www.keyedupmotorsports.com/Casey-Mears-Driver-Announcement.html
Perhaps the mixture of Richert’s knowledge and Mears’ work with some of the best teams in the business will lead to success for this brand new team.
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Jay W. Pennell
jaywpennell@yahoo.com
http://twitter.com/@jaywpennell
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