Casey Mears has a vision of success for the 2006 season, despite the change in his environment. Credit: Autostock

Mears looking for success with new season

Young driver becomes the veteran of Ganassi stable

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A 1,500-mile offseason dirt-bike ride around the Baja Peninsula only stoked Casey Mears' fire to get back into a Nextel Cup car and break more ground.

In the second day of Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway, Mears is anxious to prove that his new position, as lead driver for Chip Ganassi Racing; his new ride, the No. 42 Dodge; and his new crew chief, Donnie Wingo, are all he'll need to score his first career victory.

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"It's been three years coming, and those three years were horrendous and hard on everybody," Mears said. "We sat on some poles the second year and showed some improvement, but we never got a lot out of it.

"We thought we were going to break out last year and do well. The potential was there all year long, but the first half of the year something would happen.

"I've had good luck and bad luck, but that was all bad luck."

Actually, Mears exaggerated a bit. The first half of 2005 was just bad, with only seven top-20 finishes, including two top-10s and 23 laps led in the first 17 races.

In the second half of the season, however, Mears and his No. 41 team, led by crew chief Jimmy Elledge, took off, starting with race No. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway, not coincidentally a 1.5-mile track.

Mears started third and finished ninth at Chicagoland, one of seven top-10 finishes the team earned. He also led 122 laps in the second half, including 23 at Texas, where he finished fourth, and 75 in the season finale at Homestead.

"We put together a good string of races to end the year and finished the way we should have finished the first half of the season," Mears said. "We got really close [to winning], but it was really disappointing that we didn't close the deal."

Casey Mears 2005 Statistics Race Start Finish Daytona 29 26 California 16 22 Las Vegas 15 7 Atlanta 15 19 Bristol 31 43 Martinsville 24 17 Texas 32 4 Phoenix 32 39 Talladega 26 14 Darlington 16 39 Richmond 16 28 Lowe's 24 34 Dover 28 24 Pocono 20 18 Michigan 2 21 Infineon 36 20 Daytona 29 43 Chicago 3 9 New Hampshire 26 33 Pocono 42 21 Indianapolis 40 6 Watkins Glen 24 23 Michigan 30 14 Bristol 14 34 California 33 32 Richmond 17 23 New Hampshire 23 23 Dover 23 10 Talladega 26 38 Kansas 34 8 Lowe's 9 6 Martinsville 16 22 Atlanta 38 21 Texas 35 4 Phoenix 34 22 Homestead 6 5 Avg. 24.0 21.4

To produce what the Ganassi team did was significant, particularly at the end of the season, when Dodge teams struggled to achieve their full potential in the 2005 Charger. Two teams -- Evernham Motorsports and Penske Racing South -- even built brand-new cars with the old Intrepid body styles for Homestead.

"I think we did some things internally that worked well on our cars, just finding out how to work with the package," Mears said. "Once you learn where the strengths and weaknesses are with what you have, you can make adjustments that cater more to the strong side, [and] I think that's what we did last year.

"We found how to make 'em work. It's a little bit more difficult, and it's a little different approach, but we found out how to make it work.

"You've just got to work with what you have and try to get it to work the best you can. Overall we've been happy with the Charger, and it's worked well for us. It's been fast, but we've just got to keep working with it and get it faster."

The team had arguably the best cars at both Texas and Homestead in the fall, but in both cases late caution flags put paid to their hopes to score a breakthrough win.

The memories still pain Mears.

"I'm not over it," Mears said. "Obviously we'd like to have those back. We had some really fast cars at the end of the year last season [but] we didn't get a chance to capitalize on it, and it was very frustrating."

Mears buried those feelings over the holidays, including the long-planned dirt bike trip with buddy and fellow stock-car driver P.J. Jones.

It's got him re-charged as he charges into the season with Wingo and his veteran crew that was also unable to win with Jamie McMurray over the last three years.

Mears is also getting used to his elder statesman role, with his teammates being rookie-of-the-year candidates David Stremme (28) and Reed Sorenson (19).

"I'm looking forward to this year," Mears said. "We've made a lot of changes, and I'm not working with the same guys I was working with last year when we were running that fast."

Mears said he thinks he's to the point he can make a difference, and he'll count on his team -- which he says he's worked well with over the last three years -- to make up any other deficit.

"We had a test at Nashville with Donnie and these guys and ran faster than we ever have there, [so] I feel pretty good about it," Mears said. "I tested with Donnie my first year at Watkins Glen and came back and ran pretty fast.

"This last year we tested at Martinsville and did well [and] then at Nashville, so the three times we've tested together we've been fast. These guys have been together for three years, and they know how to work together.

"The fact that Donnie has been right across the table when we've had meetings, it's not like I'm working with a stranger. He's already a friend of mine that I know real well, [so] the transition [of] learning how to communicate is not even there."

The experience and self-inflicted expectations, however, are there.

"I think now my experience level is there," Mears said. "The team has good cars and good equipment. We've proven we can run up front. We've just got to do it week in and week out."

And Mears is clear on his ultimate goal for 2006.

"When it comes to that 26th race, we want to be in the top 10 and be able to fight for the championship," Mears said of the cutoff for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, which comes at Richmond after race No. 26.

"I won't be satisfied if we just win one race. I don't think you're ever satisfied, [but] if you ever catch me saying I'm satisfied after winning a couple of races or three races, you might as well tell me to retire.

"Once you win, you just want to keep winning more."