PHOENIX GIVES MEARS THE GEARS; SEASON FINALE ON-DECK

Player Management International Media Release

Avondale, AZ (November 14, 2010) – With just two races remaining in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Casey Mears and the GEICO Racing team have gained significant momentum as the weeks pass.  Just three days after the checkered flag was displayed in Texas last week, GEICO announced they would be appearing as the primary sponsor on the #13 Germain Racing entry for the final two races of the season.
 
Germain Racing stayed on a roll when on Friday night their NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, Todd Bodine, clinched the 2010 Truck Series title; the team’s second in the last four years.  They were looking to continue their success throughout the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
 
Mears got off to a fast start in Friday’s opening practice when the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry ended up 24th on the chart, and the second fastest among the ‘go or go home’ cars, when the session concluded.  He then entered qualifying as the final car to make an attempt, as he picked the 46th position in the qualifying draw. With every other car having already turned their qualifying laps, Mears took to the track and appeared to effortlessly qualify the GEICO car for Sunday’s race.  He hustled around the 1-mile tri-oval in just 26.713 seconds, placing the #13 GEICO Camry 24th on Sunday’s starting grid.
 
When the green flag waved on Sunday, giving way to 312 laps of racing, it lasted only momentarily, as the caution flag quickly followed when Brendan Gaughan hit the wall at the close of Lap 1.  Although he started 24th, Mears fell to 28th before going on a tear through the field.  Once the race was back under green, he quickly entered the Top 20 and the #13 GEICO Camry would ride comfortably in 17th through Lap 59, when the event’s second caution flag of the day was displayed.
 
As Mears was making his way down pit road under the caution, he suddenly alerted crew chief Bootie Barker that he was having an issue with the shifter knob and he could not determine which gear he was in.  In fact, it was discovered that the shifter had broken loose from the transmission, leaving Mears stuck in fourth gear.  Mears requested a wrench in order to work on it himself while pacing the racetrack.  
 
The good news was that Mears was stuck in fourth gear and not a lower gear that would leave the #13 GEICO Camry unable to race.  The bad news was that Mears was stuck in fourth gear, which would leave him powerless during each of the subsequent restarts. Mears would need to properly time each of the restarts so he could get on the gas early enough to attempt to get the GEICO Camry up to speed in order for fourth gear to take affect.
 
Although he was 17th prior to the caution, the prolonged pit stops, which entailed the GEICO crew attempting to repair the shifter knob, would leave him 32nd on the Lap 66 restart.  He would slowly begin to make progress and reached 30th by Lap 83.  
 
The caution flag came back out on Lap 99, allowing Mears and the GEICO team to once again attempt to repair the racecar.  They took the shifter boot off and Mears once again went to work on his own car with a wrench while also navigating the racetrack. He took off two bolts and then restarted 31st on Lap 105.
 
Once Mears got the #13 GEICO Camry up to speed, he was fast, even faster than the leader for much of the day.  By Lap 171, he was 11th, and just two laps later he had reached 3rd before a scheduled green flag pit stop would take him down pit road.  The Germain Racing pit crew quickly furnished the #13 GEICO Camry with four fresh tires and a tank of racing fuel.  Mears quickly retook to the racing surface, but due to the gear problem he would lose valuable time getting the GEICO Camry back up to speed.  He would ultimately end up 31st by the time he was back in racing form.
 
Mears appeared to be unfazed and seemed poised for a good finish. By Lap 212, he was back in the Top 25 and Laps 212 through 217 saw him wheeling around the 1-mile facility quicker than the leader.  
 
On Lap 224, Robby Gordon brought out the caution when we went for a spin.  Mears took the opportunity to bring his #13 GEICO Camry to the attention of the Germain Racing pit crew.  They provided him with four tires and fuel and once again attempted to rectify Mears’ gear situation.  Unfortunately, the best they could do was get the shifter boot back on, but it provided no relief for Mears.
 
Despite being stuck in fourth gear for 253 of the 312 laps, Mears and the GEICO team managed to hustle up a 24th place finish in the face of adversity.  
 
“It’s heartbreaking because we had such a good car today, we were really fast,” Mears said.  “We definitely had a Top 5 car, that’s how good we were.  I’m proud of everyone on this GEICO team because we never quit and it always pays off in the end.  We’ve had some tough days, but our perseverance has helped us turn them into good days by the end of the race.”  
 
He continued, “I would put this team up against any team out there. We just need to find a sponsor for the other 18 races next year.  GEICO has given us great support and is even helping to find partners for us. We couldn’t ask for a better sponsor than GEICO; they are great people who care about us and what we’re doing.”
 
Germain Racing has proven itself as a Top 25 entity and heads are turning in the Sprint Cup Series garage.  With Casey Mears behind the wheel and Bootie Barker atop the war wagon, the #13 GEICO Camry now finishes in front of some of the top teams in NASCAR on a weekly basis.
 
This week, Casey Mears and the GEICO Racing team head to Homestead, Florida, for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale.
 
Mears and the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry will hit the 1.5-mile oval of Homestead-Miami Speedway for the opening practice session at 11:30 AM (EST) on Friday, November 19th. Qualifying will follow at 3:10 PM (EST).
 
The Ford 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 21st, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1:00 PM (EST). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
 
To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.geicogarage.com
 
You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing
 
Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing