Mears caps off Veterans Day Weekend with 18th place finish at Phoenix

After a melted master switch left Germain Racing with a 35th place finish during their March visit to Phoenix International Raceway, the team sought redemption when they unloaded Casey Mears’ No. 13 Chevrolet SS for practice on Friday. With only two races remaining on the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, they were focused on finishing the season in strong fashion. In celebration of Veterans Day weekend, Mears sported the ever-popular GEICO Military paint scheme.
 
While Mears finished up the opening practice session 27th on the speed chart, qualifying favored the Bakersfield, CA, native when he advanced to the second round and landed the GEICO Military Chevy 22nd on Sunday’s starting grid. He navigated the one-mile facility in just 26.064-seconds, \at a speed of 138.122-miles per hour.  
 
Bright sunshine and reasonable temperatures welcomed the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to the track on race day. Mears and his GEICO Military Chevy began their journey from the 22nd position, but looked to begin making progress when the green flag turned the field loose. He made initial progress before he was faced with an ill-handling car that caused him to drop to 25th on the scoring tower. Crew Chief Bootie Barker and the Germain Racing pit crew worked feverishly throughout the afternoon to make helpful adjustments. Their efforts would pay off as the race wore on. Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Military Chevrolet began recovering lost real estate and rejoined the lead lap before surviving overtime and scoring a solid 18th place finish.
 
During Veterans Day weekend, where GEICO honored the military with their fan favorite GEICO Military paint scheme, Mears and Germain Racing turned in a strong top-20 performance that leaves the organization poised for a successful trip to Homestead next week.
 
“Today was a solid day and the GEICO Military Chevy was pretty strong,” Mears said. “If we would’ve gotten a caution and got back on the lead lap earlier, I think we could’ve finished in the top-15. But, we will take the 18th because it was a solid day and we worked hard to get the car where it needed to be and the work paid off.” He continued, “It was great to have a strong run during Veterans Day weekend with the GEICO Military paint scheme on the car. We are so thankful for our military and all they do to ensure our freedom and keep us safe. I am proud to drive for sponsors like GEICO and Duracell who so passionately recognize and support our service members.”
 
Germain Racing will now pack up the No. 13 entry and head to south Florida to do battle in the final event of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.  
 
Mears and the #13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, November 18th, at 12:30 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 6:15 PM (ET).
 
The Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 20th, and it will be televised live on NBC beginning at 2:30 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.

PMI PR