I haven't talked to anyone that agrees Mears will be a CHASE contender in 08'. I think his first season in a banged up #25 car went good! Even though his one win came on a fuel mileage gamble, he had some great runs and rallied to that 15th place finish in the standings. He improved his #'s in Wins, Top 5's, Top 10's, and his points finish in 2007, compared to his previous 4 seasons. Now he is jumping into a car/team that has proved it can make the CHASE year in, and year out... Having Gustafson is going to improve his abilites as a driver even more and I predict atleast 3 wins. I really think this move for Casey is going to make him a strong contender each week. So my early prediction is Casey gets 3 wins, 1 on a Superspeedway, and the other 2 most likely on Intermediate tracks. He will make the CHASE and finish strongly in the TOP-10.
ALSO - I hope he runs in the 24HRS of Daytona.. Remember, Mears was the FIRST full-time NASCAR driver ever to win it in 2006.
2007-12-26 03:30:28 · 24 answers · asked by Will-I-Am Hendrick Supporter 4 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
I hope he wins races, and makes the chase, I think he has a good chance of making the top 10.. It would be wild seeing all 4 HMS cars in the chase.. Yes I remember drove in the 2006 24hrs of Daytona, that was a great win.. I'm sure with all the media hype with Jr now at HMS, Casey might be the forgotten one, he is a cool guy and a good driver, Casey is not going to pay any attention to all the hype being on Jr, he will just go out and try to win races & make the chase.. I think Casey is going to have a great yr.
2007-12-26 04:14:48 · answer #1 · answered by Go Team Penske 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think he will make the chase this year after acclimating to HMS. It seems that most drivers need some time to get to know the new systems and procedures before they have much success. I know he will be changing crew chiefs but I really feel it will be to his benefit. Alan Gustafson is an ambitious and bright young crew chief and Jr would have been wise to take advantage of that. Casey should win 1 or 2 races and make the chase, though I don't think he will contend for the championship with the top dogs right now. However, as long as he makes the chase he could finish in the top 5-10 with some consistency and a little luck for those last 10 races but I would be very surprised with anything better than 8th place.
2007-12-26 14:57:25 · answer #2 · answered by Tregosteevo 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You dont have to tell the stats... Casey Mears is a Crew Chief away from the chase. Darien Grubb was great for JJ, but Casey just needs to click with the right people.
Mears is succesful in all series. It was just a matter of getting away from the Dodges. If JR doesnt win the championship, i hope it KC.
note* - Two years ago, i was rooting for #42 and #8 and hated Hendrick. Now its #5 and #88 and have a Hendrick sticker on my truck. Definently a decision had to be made.
AMEN!
2007-12-26 15:11:50 · answer #3 · answered by ryan49321 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that this year all four Hendrick Driver's will make the Chase. I'm so glad that Hendrick no longer is the owner of Kyle Busch. No one will ever understand how much I really hated him and his brother. To bad he has to get that evil #5 car, I really hate that number since it was Kyle's but I guess I'll start to like it more because Casey is driving it, plus I'm a huge Jeff Gordon fan, so now this means I will like everyone on the Hendricks team. Yay!!!!
2007-12-26 22:44:22 · answer #4 · answered by coolliz2444 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I doubt that he will be a CHASE contender in 2008. I do believe that he will have more wins however. But pressure to have a winning season may be a bit too much to handle - especially with the #88 team on board and all the hoopla that will bring.
2007-12-26 19:45:51 · answer #5 · answered by Gordon Fan 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He will do ok, he might get a win or two but I dont see him making the chase. Nascar is stocked from top to bottom with quality drivers and I just dont see him becoming one of the elite.
2007-12-28 00:45:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Casey is a great guy. Met him in INDY a few times. The guy worked hard to get where he is. There is a reason he drives in the Hendrick organization. Its called work ethic.
Casey will drive his heart out, try to keep his nose clean on the track and let the pieces fall where they may.
2007-12-26 12:35:11 · answer #7 · answered by NIPS® 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think Casey will have a good year and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he makes the Chase. And you are right, Gustafson will be a big plus for him.
2007-12-26 12:04:41 · answer #8 · answered by Sally B 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Casey will be the "scrub" car for Hendrick Racing.
Hendrick always has a car that will drop out to protect points if another team member is in the championship hunt.
This was the role of the 25 car for years,so it looks as if the 5 car ould be the scrub this year.
2007-12-26 12:03:18 · answer #9 · answered by blakree 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I think we are all waiting to see how everyone is gonna handle the COT full time at all tracks, that is going to make a difference in the equation of who does what where...
2007-12-26 13:21:12 · answer #10 · answered by mattywins 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋